


Allison of Cybertron

by Rangerfan58



Series: Cybertronian foster child [24]
Category: The Lone Ranger - All Media Types, Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-20 05:32:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 59
Words: 145,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14888555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rangerfan58/pseuds/Rangerfan58
Summary: another human raised by Cybertronains story. friends return after a long time and now have adventures together. profile explains how i choose to rate things PLEASE tell me if the rating needs upped at any point





	1. Chapter 1

_What you recognize I don't own. The story starts differently than most of them for reasons of my own and for the crossover part it can be considered the radio version or the TV version of the one series involved. It also has reference to another series called I didn't know I was pregnant. And as always with my story, all foreign, alien and sign language will be in asterisks, as will translated Morse code messages while thoughts are in italics, journal days are also in italics, though for the journals it will only be excerpts. There are going to be time skips but unlike other stories more recently written I am not going to give a brief description of what happens in that time period since it's basically her working_

Allison was simply finishing up her reports for the day when she thought back to twelve years earlier

_Twelve years ago_

"Now that we've convinced you that we're telling you the truth now what?"

"Now you figure out how to get home and leave the fighting to Tonto and me while you adapt to your current situation"

"Okay, but what will you do if you ever find yourself in our time Lone Ranger?"

"If it's against the alien enemies I won't hesitate to kill, but I would still shoot only to disarm against human opponents"

"And since we're trying to bring in our suspects alive more often now that isn't so hard to do anymore, but you'd have to lose the mask, you'd be considered an outlaw for sure, it's just too dangerous, and Tonto would also have trouble"

"Me take Americanized name, learn to speak English better with your help"

"Okay, we'd still call you by your true name in private though...what about you Dan?"

"I think it better that I stay in the past, leave journals for the future"

"Well, only if it's feasible, if you're in danger of dying because of our enemies if we figure out a way to save you that's what we're going to do, that goes for all three of you"

Ultimately Allison and the EDC officers sent to the past would stay there for five years, ultimately making special cryogenic pods for their three friends that were mobile, and would be forced to use them only a month before they found a way home, but in those five years they told the three much about their time period and eventually had Tonto speaking like he was a native English speaker, though he kept up his broken English to help the Lone Ranger, and because it was expected of that time period. They also helped the Lone Ranger truly understand why he would have to ditch the mask and take up a new identity in the present and he agreed to do so if it came down to it, but only at need. When they were back in their present time they found out that five years in the past was only five months in the present, how that worked no one understood but it did and over time Allison graduated high school and decided to be a reserve in the military while being a police officer, with the goal of eventually becoming a Texas Ranger full time, and that's exactly what she eventually accomplishes

_Present_

"Twelve years...I wish I knew if it was time yet"

"Kerenai you okay?"

"Yeah just thinking of something private from my past is all"

"Okay"

Allison thought back to the pods that Tonto, the Lone Ranger and Dan were in and those pods had been buried with special trackers so that they could be found in the present day, the pods also slowly healed the three from their devastating wounds that they had received from EDC enemies that had followed the group to the past. The reason it had taken that long was the way the weapons worked, and the fact that the pods themselves actually had a cycle period where they would heal the three for a time then stop the healing and let things happen naturally, but finally after a very long time in the pods the three were ready to be woken up. As for Allison, she herself was a very unique person, back when she was in the past for five years she gave the three newfound friends her past seeing as how all of the EDC already knew it as a requirement and for safety reasons

_Twelve years earlier_

"Hey Allison I was wondering something, the rest of your companions have already told us about their families but you haven't told us about yours yet"

"That's...that's because my past and my family is a bit more complicated than theirs" (sighs) "OK first thing you have to understand is that my family history is  _highly_  classified, think...okay the most basic comparison to this time is military or government secrets, but it's more complicated than that. I was naturally born to human parents, both of whom served in a special organization that is and yet at the same time isn't the military, but when I was just two years old the base my parents were based at was attacked, and my parents were killed in said attack. My parents left behind a will though which left me in the care of my paternal grandparents if they were alive, and if no living relatives were left, I was to be raised by a group of robots called Cybertronians, who helped found the EDC, or Earth Defense Command, and that's exactly what happened. Ever since then the Cybertronians have been raising me as their daughter, though with help from other EDC officers, and there are special rules and permission for someone named Captain Faireborn to be allowed to sign paperwork for both school and medical reasons. I also was born with special abilities that are controlled through a combination of meditation, the locket I am wearing, and something called a microchip, and the locket was a surprise to be honest, but if it works it works. I also know several languages, my two native languages are English and Cybertronian, I also know American Sign Language, Spanish, Canadian French and Russian, the Russian is because of the fact that my maternal grandparents are from Russia who immigrated to the United States in their teens for political reasons, and while they may be gone and I have no known relatives in Russia since they were the only child in each of their families I felt it was a good way to honor my heritage, as for Spanish and Canadian French, that's because of the fact that several friends speak both languages in their homes, Sign Language is because it's used frequently on base and I know a few people who are deaf"

"That is complicated, and don't worry we won't tell anyone about your true pasts"

"Thanks, we'll probably remain hidden as much as possible until we find a way home though, that seems to be the safest option honestly"

"Whatever you feel is best than do what you need to do"

_Present_

"I'm done guys, see you in three days"

"Oh yeah, the retreat you requested months ago"

"It's a family reason I have to do that retreat"

"I'm surprised you haven't been called in for reserve training"

"That's because that's already been done this month"

"What?"

"Yeah, remember when I disappeared for a solid week?"

"Yes"

"That was surprise specialized training, only the Captain knew about it beforehand so that he knew that I was fine when I didn't report in like I normally did. They got me at my place at night, gagged me, blindfolded me and threw me into a car, when I was finally unblindfolded I was at an airport and knew what was happening because I recognize military planes and there was also the fact that most of the people were in uniform, the rest of the week was SERE at where we train for SERE"

"SERE?"

"Survive, Evade, Resist, Escape, it's special training that helps soldiers learn what to do if they are ever taken captive by enemy forces, mostly armies or terrorists, but...EDC officers also have to do the training due to their jobs and unfortunately the military might be involved in some of those incidents as well so we're also prepared for that kind of capture as well"

"Okay you're right, you've already done your training for the month"

"What's the retreat with family about then?"

"That's...that's private family business"

And so Allison went home for an annual family retreat, this retreat was special because it allowed Allison to cut loose with her abilities that she kept hidden and under control at all times, it also allowed her to catch up on any family news not given to her over regular phone calls and e-mails. It also allowed her family to get in specialized training in handling surprises since Allison always revealed a new trick or new way of using a known ability, and that was just the basics. Allison basically used the annual retreat as a means of remembering who her family was, and being told more stories about her family that she only heard once a year or had never heard before since she was too young at the time and wouldn't have understood anyways not being in law enforcement

"Wait...my paternal grandparents really did that?"

"Yes, it surprised everyone, and then the cousins decided to get in on the action and created even more chaos that took months to settle"

"How did my Russian relatives handle it?"

"They initially used Russian curses and then joined in the water fight that was happening at the same time"

"And my parents?"

"Laughing too hard to do much"

(Sighs) "A few weeks later your parents received the shock of their lives, your mom wasn't feeling good and decided to get a check up, turns out she was in the midst of a miscarriage, she didn't know it but she was two months pregnant at the time, the doctors saved the pregnancy for only a few months longer, your mom suffered a second complication and lost the baby the second time"

"You mean I technically have an older sibling I never knew about?"

"We're...not entirely sure to be honest, your mom did give birth naturally because there was no stopping it at the time but...the doctors themselves weren't sure if there was a baby that came out of your mom or not, mostly because what came out of your mom was seriously deformed. At least three years later they received another surprise, a little bundle of joy they named Allison Kerenai"

"Wait...you guys never told me I was a surprise before"

"For the reason that quite frankly it wasn't important, your mom had carried you to full term without anyone knowing she was pregnant, they were at a function when your mom started having really bad stomach cramps, your dad decided to take her to the hospital since there was a history of ulcers and other problems. Three hours later your dad called Captain Faireborn and asked him to bring both sets of parents over since he himself couldn't leave the hospital, when she asked why he said that your mom had just finished giving birth to you only half an hour ago so they were sort of stuck at the hospital you and her for a couple of days and him for at least the next several hours since he didn't want to leave until he was sure your mom was on her way to recovery and that you were truly okay since your baby checks hadn't been completed yet"

"Marissa actually fainted at hearing the news and your grandparents weren't that far off themselves when they found out why their kids were in the hospital. At least they got to spend a little bit of time with you, all four of them were dead within eighteen months of you having been born, your paternal grandparents died in a plane crash, while your maternal grandmother was diagnosed with cancer soon after you were born and your maternal grandfather was killed by a drunk driver on the way to visit your grandmother in the hospital only days before she herself died, they knew their time was coming to a close when he was heading there by the way, the cancer was aggressive and considered terminal by the time it was detected"

Three days later Allison was back at work and was being peppered with questions, questions she would never answer and the Captain knew it too

"Okay everyone, how many times do I have to tell you that Kerenai was on a private family retreat that is an annual thing, most of the police department actually already knows this but apparently you guys haven't heard, despite being Texas Rangers who are knowledgeable about more than most people"

"Captain, can I have the reports?"

"Already prepped, per the procedure that I learned was standard from your former Captain"

"Thanks, I'll catch up and be ready for duty by tomorrow"

"You sure?"

"Captain...did you even finish the talk with my old Captain about this routine?"

"Yes, however he always gave you the highlights of the reports, I am giving you the full reports"

"Oh, I always thought something was strange about those reports, still I'll be ready for full duty tomorrow, I'll explain why in private if I have to though"

The next day Allison was all caught up with the three days she had been gone, the reason was a combination of the fact that she had been taught how to read books and other written information and mentally highlight what she's read for key parts, the other fact was because of special contacts she had which recorded what she read that allowed her to mentally recollect whatever it was that had been recorded in an instant so as to refresh her memory at need


	2. Chapter 2

"So...patrol?"

"Yep, by the way I actually do need to know how you can catch up on three days worth of reports so quickly"

"Office"

"Of course"

They head to the office and the Captain makes sure that it was locked and the window covered

"Okay we're as secure as I think we are going to get"

"Okay, you know almost everything about me already regarding my abilities and my family, well what you don't know is that they developed special contacts which I wear at all times, the contacts record everything that I read automatically and I can mentally recall any information that's been recorded at a moments notice so as to refresh my memory"

"Okay then that makes much more sense"

They leave the office and one of her fellow Rangers speaks up

"Hey Kerenai, your phone has been ringing for a few minutes now"

The phone rings again and Allison actually manages to pick up the phone this time

"Kerenai speaking go ahead...what?!...are you sure?...okay...okay...meet you there...end of the day...yeah I know...bye"

The Captain sighs realizing that something was up in regards to Allison's family

"Family situation pop up?"

"Um...partially, it's a bit complicated though"

"You just came back...but I guess family situation is important"

"It'll only take a few hours, you know full well how quickly I can get back at need"

"You get off early today in any case"

"Right, I'll make the needed arrangements at lunch then, in the meantime..."

Suddenly Allison was cut off due to the police scanner going off, and what was heard was concerning, in fact every Ranger in the office started arming up with what they could as they started hearing more and more reports that were not good, Allison of course was the best one armed even though almost no one knew about it since only the Captain knew about her abilities

"How far is SWAT?"

"At least fifteen minutes further than we are"

"Captain, two quick questions, weapons locker and me?

"Yes to both, but be judicious in regards to you"

"Always Captain, always"

Allison leads everyone to a special weapons locker and her fellow Rangers were shocked at the weapons array that they were seeing

"Okay...that's impressive weaponry"

"Come on, grab the weapons and lets get going"

On the way to the situation one of the more experienced Rangers asked Allison a valid question

"Kerenai...are you able to fight?"

"Yes, I can still fight"

"Are you certain?, that phone call..."

"Was about a situation regarding some friends, but I have been taught from a young age to separate duty and personal issues, and that phone call is personal issues at least for now"

"Very well, but if I see signs otherwise..."

"You have full authority to pull me from duty"

When they got to the situation they discovered things were at a standstill with a very tense hostage situation

"Okay...new plan?"

"Nope, let the negotiators do their jobs, in the meantime we prep for the plan we came up with on the way here"

"What about SWAT?"

"If they get here during the standstill we'll coordinate with them, but only then"

Ultimately the situation was resolved peacefully and Allison was allowed to handle the situation in regards to the phone call. The situation was that Tonto, the Lone Ranger and Dan were ready to wake up and had been taken to the nearest EDC base, when Allison got to them Tonto was just beginning to stir with the other two not far behind, unfortunately they woke up in fight mode and it took a bit to calm down. Once that was settled two things, though months apart happened that hadn't happened in a long, long time, the first was that the Lone Ranger once more had a real name, the second was that for the first time since the ambush by Cavendish, Tonto and the Lone Ranger took separate paths once they were established, the Lone Ranger, now called John Reid went into law enforcement once more with the goal of becoming a Texas Ranger once again while Tonto went into the Army Reserves like Allison, but his full time job was as a paramedic while Dan went into law school. And just like Allison had mentioned Tonto was given an Americanized name and went by Randolph Hunter, and through Presidential manipulation Tonto was put into Allison's reserve unit as a combat medic considering his civilian job as a paramedic. Allison also kept a private promise being at the ceremony for both Tonto and John when they each became part of the military or the police force and John quickly became a Texas Ranger once more, and Allison made sure to talk to him in private real quickly after the ceremony

"Two quick things, first off never let anyone but one person know the truth about you, you've been doing well so far, but now that you're a Texas Ranger you might give yourself away, the second is that your Captain knows your true identity and your history for security reasons"

"Understood"

"Oh and the family wants to talk to all three of you ASAP, what's Dan doing?"

"He's not due for break for another week, something about extra testing due to a situation that came up at his campus"

"Hm...might have to look into that, and I know about Tonto"

"What I'm wondering is why he has reserve training while you don't"

"It's a combat medic specific thing that he's doing, all the combat medics in the reserves are doing the training at the same time"

"Oh...that makes sense then"

"I'll contact Dan and let my family know what that situation was, you can contact him and let him know the family wants to talk to you guys"

"It's still a little surprising at how quickly one can contact someone now"

"At least you had some background which helped you to adapt, plus there was the telegraph line in your time"

"That still took a bit of time though"

"True, but faster than before the telegraph lines"

"You win that argument, talk to you in two days about this"

"Oh?"

"Yep, temporary assignment in a completely different city than I normally work in"

"What for?"

"I was specifically requested for this assignment for whatever reason"

"Does the conversation have to be in person?"

"Considering my phone doesn't do conference calls and both our Captains need to be involved in the conversation yes it does"

"Okay, why?"

"Because...all three of you might need to make new decisions and I myself need to be involved because I recently started feeling different and need to have special medical examinations done by my family"

Two days later everyone was together once more. Allison had discovered that the situation at Dan's school was a surprise scenario that forced the potential lawyers to learn what it was like to work alongside the military to handle cases involving both civilians and service men, specifically the Navy and JAG, it was  _just_  a scenario, no one was actually hurt, dead or in legal trouble, but because the military personnel were about to be deployed the school had to bump the scenario to earlier than originally planned for and while it was always going to be a surprise scenario it would have been that they wouldn't know when the team up would happen, not that there was a team up at all, basically the students would have been warned that a scenario involving the military was going to happen at some point in the semester, but that they wouldn't know when until it happened, instead it was a complete surprise. After Allison had come back from protection detail involving the State Governor she and John talked to their Captains about the EDC needing to talk to John and that Allison was requesting time off to be checked out by her family with special medical tests


	3. Chapter 3

 

 

 

"Are you sure you need the special tests?"

"Yes sir, and it could take a few days"

"Medical leave, one week if needed"

"John you have two days leave just in case"

"We'll let you know sirs"

"Agreed"

Several hours later the initial testing was done but more was needed, however they had an initial idea of what was going on

"Well Ratchet, what's the news?"

"First Aid mentioned you need more testing done, however preliminary testing is telling us the same reason we need to talk to those three we also need to discuss with you, however for now, John, Randolph, Dan, you three are no longer going to age due to how those sent to the past saved your lives, as such I recommend switching between the EDC and your current jobs every twenty or thirty years so as to keep suspicion off yourselves"

"If I'm in the same situation I will definitely be doing that, uh...should our Captains know our situation?"

"No, this is classified beyond your Captain's who are cleared for a  _lot_  with you two, that is if Allison is in the same situation"

"Wait, what about Randolph?"

"The military isn't cleared either I'm afraid, but the President is and for you two he's the one who ultimately says who you serve with and where you go so he'll be informed immediately"

"Well for now we just need to figure everything out regarding me, then we can make further decisions"

"Allison, should I ask my Captain for a transfer to your Ranger headquarters?"

"No, we do the most good being in separate districts right now, slightly bigger area that's being covered by experienced people"

"Next time I'll also join in, but for now Allison is right Kemosabe"

"Fine"

"Nope, if you go with Ratchet's suggestion you're going back to being a Paramedic, we need your medical skills Tonto, you've already responded to a few of John's calls, and then there's our reserve unit"

"Fine"

"As for me, it's really best I become a lawyer, at least this time around if we go with Ratchet's suggestion, but I don't know about the next time"

Ultimately they decide to indeed go with Ratchet's suggestion, and a few days later Allison herself was forced to make the decision if she would go with Ratchet's decision since she too would never age again, but for her the reason was a combination of the time travel rifts she went through and the accident immediately after their return that only she was involved in

"Well looks like I'm also going to be doing the rotation"

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, I've been thinking of it since the day you told those three and then thought about it for another two days and have decided that yes, I do want to stay in this job but to do so I need to do the rotation so as to keep suspicion off my back"

"For now though you need to talk to your Captain, at least you guys can keep your names since you've decided to do the rotation"

"True thanks to government protections that will now be happening"

"The EDC knows the truth and will always know the truth because of what we do, oh do you want us to tell John, Randolph and Dan or do you?"

"I will tell John since there's cross training scheduled for when I get back, you can tell Randolph and Dan since Randolph and I don't have training together for another month"

"But your weekend training..."

"We once again are being separated, but this time it's because of the fact that Randolph is being required to do SCUBA training for some reason while the rest of us are doing normal training"

"And what was the training he was doing last time?"

"Some sort of medical thing to keep their skills up to date"

"How is your unit supposed to function without a member?"

"Supplemental training done in rotation, part of the unit does training immediately after his training is done, the other part does the training with the whole team, I'm not in the rotation this time"

Allison went back to work the next day and explained the situation to her Captain at least as much as he was cleared for anyways

"Do you want John here?"

"No it's better that Texas has experienced people spread out covering what it can"

"You know full well that Rangers are experienced"

"True, but the experience I'm talking about is different from the experience that normal Rangers have"

"Okay I can't argue with that, since I don't know what experience you're talking about but still..."

"Sorry Captain, but there really isn't much more I can tell you, as it is if you didn't have the clearance you do because of me you wouldn't have been told this much"

"Fine, by the way this came for you, it's from an unknown person, at least from my stand point, no identifying marks, letterheads and everything is typed so handwriting analysis would be useless, unless the letter's handwritten but since I knew you would be back soon and some sort of government agreement has to have my name on the envelope as well for me to open your mail that ever comes here I made sure it remained unopened, and that's with your fellow Rangers wanting me to open it"

"And the fact that opening letters is against federal laws doesn't enter their minds because..."

"Oh they know it's a federal law not to do so, but they unfortunately are too used to me being able to open it if it's for you and you're not available for whatever reason"

"Okay...maybe we need to have a special meeting for them to understand that policy that's allowed"

"Maybe"

Suddenly they both heard shouting which was muffled, when the door was opened Allison winced which told the Captain that she knew the language at the very least, but what it was she didn't know yet, however Allison started talking before they could ask Allison what was being said

*Calm down, cursing everyone out won't help anyone no matter how mad or frustrated you are right now. The only thing that will help is being calm, telling these people what the problem is and also understanding that there's a process to everything*

Suddenly the person spoke with a heavy accent

"Sorry, just...несостоявшийся with being given to one section of police to another over the past three days"

"And you were suddenly sent up here and reached your venting point"

"Yes"

"Okay, it's understandable I just have a quick question, is it better for you if we have a translator or can you handle an interview in English?"

"Translator, English is giving me a headache right now and I also might switch back to my native Russian in my current state"

"Okay we can do that, in the meantime do you want something to eat or drink?"

"Coffee?"

"Sure...and I'll also get you some food since it's that time of day"

"No...medical condition that means eating when...frustrated is impossible, no diagnosis of condition either"

"But you  _can_ still have something to drink?"

"Yes, no answers about that"

"Okay, oh and by the way impressive cursing, and very descriptive in medical things"

"How you understand me?"

"Russian grandparents, they were dead before I could remember them but decided to learn Russian in honor of my heritage"

"I'll call for translator services in the meantime"

"Thanks John, if she starts in Russian again before I get back do what you can to keep her calm if she seems agitated, if everything is fine then ignore it unless she's speaking directly to you, if that happens just ask her to try and repeat what she was saying in English"

"Got it Allison"

Fifteen minutes later she arrives back to a situation and her Captain quickly debriefs her

"Allison there's a  _situation_  in our office"

"Does that situation have a name?"

"Not...entirely, what information I have involves the Russian lady, a gunman, lighters, five Rangers stuck in the office and...okay why do I see SWAT with a bazooka?"

Allison turns and sees what the Captain sees but then realizes what that weapon really was

"Oh...that's not a bazooka, at least it's not a normal bazooka, that's a specially modified bazooka that only shoots tear gas, flash bangs and hooks attached to ropes for climbing, and that wasn't what you were going to say"

"Right as I was saying and also an unusual amount of coffee, very, very hot coffee, coffee made without the safety features inputed into coffee machines to prevent it from getting too hot"

"Okay...I think I need better detail that the notes you have"

"Notes? Who said anything about notes, this is disjointed texts seeing as how I was in court when everything started"

"Right...forgot you had court at the same time I was getting the coffee from the good coffee shop"

"Which was delayed until tomorrow once the trouble started...everyone was running for cover"

"The people involved?"

"Safe"

"Okay, now for the bigger problem...our office"

"Exactly"

"Are any of the Rangers here some of the ones in the office when the incident began?"

"Two, want me to get them so that we can get a straight story?"

"As much as possible yes"

Five minutes later the two that had managed to escape came over

"You wanted to see us Kerenai?"

"Yeah, I need to make a plan but to do so I need a clear story of what happened while I was away"

"That makes sense, we've been trying to tell the on scene commander but he's not listening to us, something about waiting for the EDC to get involved"

"Okay...why would the EDC be involved?"

"Um...okay here's the full story, as we were waiting for you to come back with the good coffee and waiting for the Russian translator who unfortunately was busy in another section of the building, the Russian lady asked very calmly if there wasn't another translator and unfortunately there wasn't so seeing that we're all coffee addicts and also in need of the caffeine she started to get the coffee going when suddenly a gunman showed up. She herself works at a coffee shop and has all her life so she knew how to adjust things so that the coffee gets hotter than safety features normally make it, in the meantime the gunman tried to set several desks on fire but we quickly thwarted his attempts by putting the fires out quickly and also quickly taking the lighter away, when that happened the gunman started shooting at everyone but most of the group except the Russian lady and five Rangers managed to escape, however before I left I managed to hurt the gunman and they were bleeding an orangeish-blueish color which means that technically the EDC has to get involved, but we need to act fast ourselves too if we can"

"Right, I'll see if I can't talk to the on scene commander and get him more cooperative about moving now if possible, even if it's just to truly start negotiations"

Suddenly though the gunman fired several shots into the crowd, fortunately none hit but it was a bit close at times

"Okay plan B"

"What's plan B?"

"Simple I assert my authority, get in there and resolve things to the best of my ability before the EDC arrives, Captain tell the EDC officer in charge that I'm here and what my basic plan was"

"Will do Kerenai, they know to let you do your thing?"

"Yep, they also know the help signal I'll give if I need it"

"I don't think I even want to know"

"Nope, you really don't, not yet if it can be helped"

Ten minutes after Allison left she was back, and this shortly after an explosion

"Okay, that didn't work out too well, now we need a plan C, but first...a little security"

Allison put her hand up to just under her chin with all but two fingers in a fist like position and then whispered something only those closest to her could hear

"Arranyan shields"

"So, when are you making plan C?"

"Oh that's simple, as soon as the EDC officers get here"

"What happened anyways?"

"An IED so as to deter any actions against them"

"So...it a good thing you set it off?"

"Yep, because if I hadn't SWAT would have pretty soon, and to much more devastating consequences most likely"

Suddenly Allison sees someone she definitely wasn't expecting

"Okay John, what the devil are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Austin, not Dallas"

"Hey don't blame me, my Captain told me I was to go to Dallas for some sort of Ranger function later tonight, heard that this was going on so decided to come here as an observer to keep people safe and then my Captain called the on scene commander who asked me to join in. By the way I am  _not_ happy with the risks you took a few minutes ago"

"You know that function completely slipped my mind once this mess started"

"And since I was still on medical leave I wasn't even aware of such a function"

"Yeah, was going to tell you today but then the agitated person showed up and..."

"I understand sir, by the way John, have you cooled that hot headed on scene commander any?"

"Yeah, I've calmed him down, you're the one who set him off in the first place though"

"So my plan B wasn't very effective, I still had that authority and felt it might give us a chance to solve things more quickly and peacefully, because while I know the on scene commander was waiting for the EDC at the same time I also knew anything could have set him on the war path, I've worked with him before and know his temperament"

"Why was he made on scene commander than?"

"Besides being the first person not from here on scene he's an  _excellent_  organizer"

"Okay, if you know him why'd you set him off?"

"That's exactly why I set him off, the gunfire earlier would edged him pretty close if I hadn't already set him off, and the blood color told me that not setting his temper off means that the gunman would have eventually"

"Blood color?"

"Yes John, it's an alien in there, with orangeish-blueish blood, and you know what that means"

"Voltarslians"

"Exactly"

"Wait when you said that the gunfire a few moments ago would have edged him pretty close if not for being set off, does that mean he has a short temper or long temper?"

"I'm not explaining this very well, his temper is such that anything that endangers innocent civilians like the shooting will have him gunning for the criminal pretty fast, especially if it's an already tense situation with poor information flow due to how rapid something happens, however if things remain calm for a good period of time and he has time to make good plans his temper flares aren't so quick to come up and while he'd have been...annoyed with the enemy he would simply start talking with a bullhorn giving them a warning like you just heard, his policy is three warnings then he goes in charging if it involves civilians, fellow officers he just gets really annoyed about, if they're killed he knows the risks as well as us and simply tells the criminals that more than likely they'll be killed with the charge of killing a law enforcement officer now added to any other list of charges they might currently have"

"So basically as long as he has time to make plans and everything is calm he's fine but any civilian risks, not enough clear detail and things happening too quickly makes his temper short"

"Exactly"

"Okay you were right to set him off before they did, but why did you set him off anyways?"

"Because he was waiting for the EDC to show up, but I knew the enemy wouldn't have waited until then because the EDC probably won't show up for another two hours...trust me they try to get here as fast as possible but all things considered..."

"Yeah...you win that one"

"Okay you two what are you talking about?"

"John and I were talking about the fact that the nearest EDC station is two hours away this time, normally there would be one closer but they're on a training assignment and wouldn't get here for at least fifteen hours due to being in Russia, don't ask why they're training there because I have no idea, I just know that they are"

"And just how does John knows this stuff?"

"Classified"

"Fine, does it have to do with why the EDC did his medical checks for some reason?"

"Yes, but that's all you can know, you know the rules Captain"

"I know the rules indeed, we can speculate all we want on things we're not cleared for but you can neither confirm nor deny any speculations that we're not cleared for, I have to know why John had his medical checks done by the EDC just like his Captain just in case, but anything else I can't know in regards to his connection to the EDC except that he has qualifications in accordance to his needing to see an EDC medic regularly that I can't know about"

"Well for now we have to sit tight for another couple of hours, but at the same time people might start getting twitchy if we don't do something soon, even though I set off an IED"

"On scene commanders temper?"

"Not entirely, more like a combination of the Voltarslians and crowds, we need to buy time for the EDC to arrive but the Voltarslians will keep attacking the civilians if they remain here so we need to secretly evacuate, plus we need to know the current situation in our office, if our fellow Rangers and our one person in our office that was only waiting for a translator are even still alive"

Seven hours later things were finally resolved peacefully, and the six people still in the office at the time of the incident were still alive, two Rangers had been hurt pretty badly and all of them had small scrapes and bruises, but overall they were okay, Allison though went to the hospital to keep the Russian lady calm and then explain what would happen due to the situation she had unfortunately been caught up in

*Due to the incident we'll have to postpone the discussion until the day after tomorrow, but if you can write down what it was you wanted to talk to us about as much as possible before you forget*

*I already did, but will try and see if I remember anything else in the meantime*

*Great and once we do get around to talking we'll try and refresh your memory after going over your notes*

Allison leaves the room and meets up with her Captain

"How are the two bad ones?"

"Not as bad as initially feared, one has to be in an induced coma because of brain injury and needing several surgeries, which means his career might be over but he'll live, the other one will be on medical leave for several months due to a separated shoulder, a severely broken leg and a broken wrist"

"Right, I'll go back to the office and start the cleanup and update the others"

And that's exactly what she does, she even makes sure that John was okay to stay just a little longer since the reason he was even there in the first place had been canceled and he was a witness

"Don't worry I have a place to stay, the Captain arranged it beforehand"

"Just making sure, and guys no pestering the Captain, or event the doctors this time, or do you really want me to take measures to prevent that from ever happening again?"

"This your warning you mentioned?"

"Yep, this is my warning, and John, this isn't your business except in that I'm sure you've seen plenty of worried Rangers in the time you've served with them"

"Wasn't even going to ask about that because you're right I do know what worried Rangers can be like, I actually had to subdue my own Captain once, then again part of that was because his nephew was injured at the same time in a fire so..."

"What was his nephew doing?"

"Paramedic, unfortunately the ambulance was a bit too close to a firetruck which caught fire and exploded, and that was by sheer chance and a sudden shift in weather"

"Yeah...that would do it for sure, John alert Randolph and Dan to the possibility of alternate plans going into action sooner than originally thought"


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh?"

"I'll explain it at my apartment once Dan is done with school, Randolph and I have to focus on our jobs during training and even when we have downtime this is too sensitive to do the usual fake that we don't hear anything that goes with communal living"

"But Allison..."

" _No_  John, this is my final word on this topic, we must wait until everyone can meet up at my place which is always the most secure out of all four places, we're not using the base for this there isn't any need, at least yet"

"Your family?"

"They don't need to get involved yet either"

"Fine, but I'd better get answers soon"

"Don't worry you will John, just as soon as everyone can get together"

"Okay"

"By the way Allison, armory for you"

"Understood Lt., um is this because the person that's supposed to have done so is either currently in surgery or in recovery?"

"That's it exactly, and while someone else that wasn't exactly involved could do the cleaning it's best that you be the one since you know what adrenaline will do to people and you don't seem to get those jitters like everyone else does"

"Oh yeah, I remember the last time someone was trying to clean the armory weapons with an adrenaline rush, it was a good thing I was there for some other reason or it could have been...bad overall with how severe the reaction was"

"Fine, I'll help out"

"No John, you need to get back to Austin, they need you John and we can't get together for another few months, I can clean the armory easily by myself"

"I know, but I need to talk to you about something anyways"

Once in the armory the two started cleaning the weapons in silence and then Allison knew it was time to talk to John

"Okay John what is it?"

"The President wants to speak with us but at the same time he isn't doing anything to facilitate that with the military, I received a letter from him by the way which is how I know he wants to talk to us"

"Ah...that means that while he feels it's important personally he doesn't want what needs to be talked about to interfere with our normal everyday lives, is it just you three?"

"No, it's all four of us, the letter specifically said that you're needed as well for some reason"

"Fine, he'll send each of us a letter once schedules can be coordinated"

"Okay then"

A few months later things were finally in place to meet the President. Back when Allison wanted to talk to the other three in her apartment it was because they lucked out on a long vacation for Dan and she discussed possibly joining the EDC sooner than expected due to the Voltarslians threatening them through subtle clues in the office, but ultimately they decided not to because the EDC handled that threat pretty quickly since what Allison didn't know was that it was also a threat against the EDC, she just wasn't taught those signs so she couldn't have known about that

"Finally, finally we can meet the President as he's been wanting for months now"

"So, plane tickets?"

"Yep, all set"

Several hours later they were finally in Washington D.C. and at the gates of the White House waiting to be cleared for entrance. A few minutes later they were cleared and were in the Oval Office

"Ah, it's good to see you guys, I'll get straight to the point, there are some packages for the four of you, packages that have been waiting for you for a long, long time, passed along the line of Presidential succession until today, passed on through written and verbal words. But finally these packages can be given to you, however first there's a letter for all four of you that you need to read, now which one will do so"

"Tonto should do it, if it's been passed on through Presidential succession the person who wrote it might have wanted it that ways as proof that he was now proficient in English"

"Very well"

Tonto is then handed the letter and he reads it out loud

_Letter_

Dear Tonto, Dan, Allison and the Lone Ranger, by the time you receive this letter and the packages I have left for you in the care of the President I will be long dead, history will tell you some of what happened after three people were put into hiding and the fourth went home but not everything. As such I have left journals for once you are back and awake, these journals will tell you everything up to a few short months before I have written this letter and left the packages in the care of the President, you each have your own copies, these journals will also tell you how those left behind have tried to carry on the work of Tonto and the Lone Ranger. I have asked that the sitting President explain why I stopped writing a few months ago, signed Arizona Lawson

_End of letter_

"What happened to Arizona sir?"

"The President of the time wrote it down himself, Arizona got severely ill a few months before he left everything to the sitting President, Arizona used what strength he had left to get to the capitol and leave the journals with him personally, he died only a few short hours after he accomplished his mission in the White House"

"I see, looks like we have plenty of reading to do though"

"Indeed we do"

"What I'm wondering is why he left journals for me and Dan, he didn't really know the two of us as well as he knew the two of you"

"Who knows, but at least you can hear first hand without borrowing our journals"

"True enough, and with Dan it might be because he was actually part of that time and would have lived there had everything not happened the way they did, but I was a complete stranger, even with the occasional run in over five years"

"Kemosabe, it's time that I get back to work, I received notice that I have reserve training next week and I need to talk to my cover person before everything happened, Allison you're in my unit and also need to make preparations"

"Already made Tonto, due to having enough time preparations are already made and the person coming to cover me is already up to date...then again that's primarily because of the fact that they're already technically with the Rangers even if they're not active"

"Oh?"

"Yep, a SWAT member who's a Texas Ranger and part of SWAT, primarily with SWAT but at need he's a fully active Texas Ranger"

"Basically he's a reserve Texas Ranger like you and Tonto are reserve Army soldiers"

"In a way, but it's more complicated than that Dan"

"Thank you for giving us these journals Mr. President, but why wait so long?"

"I wanted to make sure that John, Randolph and Dan were adjusting to their new time period before giving them reminders of their true home time period, as for you Kerenai it was simply a matter of having to give everyone the journals all at the same time"

"I understand sir"

"Wait, Tonto, Allison don't you have a day to relax?"

"Sorry Mr. President, but Tonto's right, we need to get back because  _someone_  extended our training to a whole week instead of the usual weekend"

"That's not my fault, that was my Defense Secretary, and he's doing it to every unit and this is because of what happened in Dallas Allison, you're training alongside the EDC for the whole week, he's starting with reserve units and then normal units that aren't on deployment"

"Okay, but you're the one who approved it"

"Because it makes sense"

"I know, I know the Voltarslians are being a pain in the neck, but still..."

"It's for the best Kerenai, you can work with the EDC no problems since you've lived with them most of your life, but the rest of your unit desperately needs the training, plus they  _really_  need to get used to your powers you'll need them against EDC enemies and you know it"

"I know about her abilities...but I do need to learn how to work smoothly with the EDC, for reasons that you're already aware of Mr. President and Allison you know how hard integration training can be for those not used to having to do so"

"I know, and I know that it really does need to be a week, it's just annoying that I need to take a full week out of work when we're not being activated for duty"

"For now it's just something you're going to have to deal with"

"Doesn't mean I have to like it, especially since they might learn things they're not supposed to learn"

"That's unfortunately unavoidable Kerenai, you have no choice in the matter"

"My family and I will figure things out probably, now then like Tonto said we have things to take care of because while my job has things under control there are a few other things that I need to do first before training gets underway"

"Okay then, Kerenai, Tonto be aware of sudden changes in the next week of training depending on...a few different things"

"Understood sir"

Tonto and Allison head back to their respective jobs while letting John and Dan have some family time together, during the rest of the time the two got everything ready, Tonto let his replacement get settled with his partner while Allison finished up a court session and let her landlord know the fact that she was going to be gone during the time rent was due and as such made arrangements to pay later than normal

"Thank you for letting me know before the rent was due, but I thought you were warned in plenty of time to make these arrangements?"

"Um...phone tag?"

"Oh...right, I've been out of state for a bit"

"Exactly"

"Okay, the week after training call me and we'll get together for the rent payment"

"Okay, see you soon"

Allison finishes the arrangements and then finally meets up with Tonto and the rest of the unit

"Randolph, ready for this?"

"Yep, as is the rest of the unit, you're the last one to arrive"

"Not my fault there was an accident on the freeway"

"True enough, and the base knows about the accident too so is giving everyone extra time to get to work if they don't live on base, the plane won't set off for another half hour because you're not the only one needed on the plane who was late"

Suddenly Allison's phone rang and she answered in English but then moved to a private area

*What's going on Galvatron?...okay...okay...thanks for that...fine...bye*

Thirty minutes later the plane took off and a few hours later they landed at the EDC base and were greeted by Ratchet

"Hello everyone, you're here for training with the EDC officers, however the EDC works closely with us Cybertronians as well so you're going to be learning how to work beside us as well"

Suddenly there was an explosion and only Allison and Tonto reacted quickly enough to keep everyone safe, Allison by using her shields and Tonto shooting in the direction the explosion came from, the scream let everyone know that he hit his target

"Keep down and  _quiet_ , that's the first rule everyone learns in war is to keep quiet"

"Well done you two, however Randolph you get to take the officer to medical since you were the one that hit him, fortunately due to measures taken nothing vital was hit"

Everyone got up and Allison's glare along with her Captain's look told Ratchet that he was explaining things

"That was a scenario deliberately set up to test your reaction time, as reserve soldiers you should be faster at reacting"

(Sighs) "You've made your point Ratchet, Randolph is a tracker so that will help in some scenarios"

"Where did you learn anyways Randolph?"

"Passed down through generations, like the Navajo language Mike"

"Your father or grandfather then"

"Something like that"

"Now then once Randolph gets back everyone is getting orientation for the day, tomorrow is when training begins in earnest...maybe"

"Med-checks first though, those are written orders"

"True enough"

As they were going a Lt. commented on what Ratchet had said

"You know I don't like how he added the maybe onto his sentence"

"I'm not entirely happy either, that means something probably" (thinks) " _more like I know that means something's up, either because of Red Alert or as more training that anything can happen at any time, I hate these tests but the unit needs them since they are_ not _used to the EDC or my family_ "

They pass the med-checks and ultimately it was Red Alert that set things off during orientation, this time what finally did it was that an unscheduled group entered the base for a tour

"Code Orange, repeat code orange"

"Okay people follow me, we're heading to safety, the Cybertronians have a situation on hand that only they can handle, well...and a few officers that are specially trained for this"

"What exactly is this situation?"

"One of the Cybertronians is having a...situation right now"

"We can help"

"No...you can't"

There was arguing going on without a resolution and ultimately Allison knew that she had no choice but to reveal herself since she had long since had Presidential permission to reveal her connection to the Cybertronians at need, her sighing out loud stopped everything

"Okay, my unit except Randolph has to sign special paperwork after everything is resolved, and that's because he's already signed it, officer get these people to bunker five, I'll use my shields to give you extra protection once everyone is inside. Once that's done I'm going to join in on getting Red Alert calmed down once more, I have moves that the officers don't since the Cybertronians raised me since I was two, and as such they taught me how to take them down at need since they knew the risks"

"Kerenai what..."

"Later Captain, everything will have to be later, Randolph, keep the group safe"

"Understood"

"And Randolph...you might need to use your skills with a bow and arrow if things don't work out"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm giving you my bow and arrow set that I created, a set that the President has allowed for reasons that you're aware of, the only reason you haven't gotten permission is because quite frankly your job isn't secure enough while mine is"

"I've been trying since I'm a reserve and there's a push for me to have my army equipment easier on hand in case of sudden deployment, it's not working the greatest though"

"Your job is more complicated in securing weapons than mine since I'm a Texas Ranger, you're a Paramedic which means your job isn't meant to deal with weapons on a regular basis like mine is"

"You have the weapon on hand?"

"Here you are, the bow is collapse form, the arrows are normal"

Allison hands Tonto a bag that most thought was a bit small yet bulky and then the group was shoved into the room once there Tonto put the bow together and notched an arrow into the string, but after that preparation he left the bow and arrow loose in his hand

"Randolph,  _if_  the weapon is needed, do you have decent range?"

"Oh yeah, I have very good range with this weapon, maybe even more than the weapons I used at home due to the synthetic materials"

"Let's just hope it's not needed Randolph"

"True, hopefully Allison's shields will hold or the situation is resolved before he even gets here"

Eventually they receive word that Red Alert had been stopped, and everyone decided to go to the medbay to figure out what was going to happen now and came in the middle of Allison shouting at Ratchet...in Cybertronian

*...and furthermore you should have told the unit about Red Alert getting worse, or at least let me know so that I could see him and possibly calm him down before a problem happened, as it is I had to reveal my connection to you guys and the Primes and Galvatron were trying to avoid that for reasons that you know very well were needed!*

*I'm sorry Allison, you're right we should have told you at the very least, but honestly I thought I had more time to get Red Alert back to a state of normal, I added the maybe without much thought, thinking about how having you guys here was making him twitchy, only the fact that he was informed in enough time for security checks didn't make him worse*

Suddenly Allison looks and sees her unit


	5. Chapter 5

"Okay, time to switch back to English, now then like I said everyone but Randolph needs to sign special paperwork, now that you know my connection to the Cybertronians I will speak to them occasionally in their own language whenever we're training with them"

"However first thing you guys need to understand is that the situation with Red Alert should have never happened, I was going to do some special treatments to get him settled since he was starting to get bad, but unfortunately before I could he was set off by people who got on base without security checks being done thus his paranoia issue was set off and unfortunately you were witness to it"

"Should you have told us about his paranoia problem?"

"He gave permission, he's asleep now but coherent beforehand"

"What was setting him off this time anyways?"

"Voltarslians for the most part, but a few conferences with world leaders were stressing him out too, combine that with the President mandating training with the military and unscheduled visitors and you have a recipe for a problem"

"Voltarslians?"

"Yeah...that will be in the explanations tomorrow, for now you guys are finishing base orientation so that you can hopefully find your way around to the most basic places"

"Did you guys teach Allison that in war being quiet is important?"

"Yes, that's because we fought a civil war for millions of years so we know war better than most humans, and those that have fought know some things including the importance of quiet, but not everything that we know"

"Well, like Ratchet said we need to finish orientation for the base"

"Which I can finish quite easily since I lived here most my life"

"No Allison, we need the officer originally planned for orientation to finish so that he can get used to the job since that's his job now"

"Since when?"

"Yesterday, Captain Faireborn lost her other orientation officer and he seemed to be good enough for that so we're giving him a try"

"Okay then, he can do it but I'm going to go to my room for a bit, there's supplies that I want from there that I didn't get originally"

"Sorry Allison, you need to do orientation with your unit, Presidential orders"

"Understood Captain"

Several hours later and orientation was finally finished

"Now then, any questions?"

"Are there any areas of the base off limits?"

"Yes, Kerenai is allowed any where's on base due to this being her home but everyone else is to stay out of the security room, period, also where we generate our own energy, the weapons locker is a case by case situation during the week, oh, and Wheeljack's lab that is a very dangerous area"

"No kidding, when was the last accident?"

"Yesterday"

"How bad?"

"Somehow it wasn't that bad this time, only minor damage to the actual lab and Wheeljack himself wasn't actually injured"

"Wow, that's a new record if he hasn't been injured since the last time I talked to them several months ago"

"It's a new record, he might actually last a year for the first time ever"

"So I'm guessing Wheeljack is explosion prone?"

"Yeah, part of that is that he does deal with explosives from time to time, the rest of the time it's his experiments gone wrong"

"Okay so noted"

"Oh yeah, one more area you need to stay out of on occasion is the training rooms and fields, there are times when it's specifically Cybertronians only in the rooms and fields, this is for your safety because they are much bigger than you are, they are aware of your presence but accidents do happen on occasion"

"Personal experience Kerenai?"

"Yep, I got extremely lucky in that I only suffered a mild concussion and a sprained ankle, it could have been much worse"

"No kidding, you should have known better Kerenai in the first place"

Suddenly they hear another voice

"Actually she didn't because those rules were only established after her accident when she was only five years old"

Allison turns around and sees someone she hadn't seen or heard from in a while

"Hey Jazz, where have you been for two years?"

"Sorry Ally, that's for the leaders until at least after the debrief, Prowl might have to decide as well depending on several factors"

"Fine, I know better than to pry information out of you"

"Looks like I need updated too"

Allison notices that he's looking pointedly at Tonto since while they had never met in person before Jazz had seen a special picture of Tonto that had been taken by an EDC officer after a hard fight that Allison had been involved in and all the Cybertronians had seen the picture at some point or had a copy some where's in their room

"Yeah...that will be in the debrief"

"What's with the nickname anyways?"

"Guys, you signed the paperwork, you know they raised me since I was two, what do you think is up with the nickname?"

"But everyone else calls you by your full name"

"Or something we don't understand that I assume translates into your name"

"Everyone is different, and yes what you heard is a translation of my name into Cybertronian, and they do use the same nickname that Jazz just did, but between not seeing me for two years and the fact that it's simply his personality he calls me by the nickname more often than not"

And so Jazz debriefs the leaders on his spy mission and they debrief him on how Tonto, Dan and the Lone Ranger had woken up finally and the fact that those three and Allison would no longer age and as such would switch between their current jobs and the EDC every twenty to thirty years depending on several factors

"There's more Jazz, I want you to train those four in Ops, especially because we came too close to telling your Ops team that you were dead, if you hadn't given us the signal within hours of us receiving it your team would have been told that Meister was dead, and since they're the only ones who know that Jazz and Meister are the same bot they would have been the only ones to know that our co third in command was dead"

"But why train them?"

"Simple, they need to be able to hide in plain sight at a moments notice and you might need them to act on your behalf at times when dealing with human establishments, and then there's the fact that they're receptive, they would have known at some point of observing your team that something was wrong"

"Makes sense, but only when they all have time or when they join the EDC"

"Very well"

The next day the training truly began, and it was intense the soldiers learned how to fight multiple EDC enemies and while they didn't learn how to fight Cybertronians they did learn a few key clues to look for to see if they were under enemy control so that the EDC could be alerted to that fact

"We're also going to teach Randolph at least how to track us in areas where we can leave tracks in case it's ever needed for whatever reason"

"I learn fast so it shouldn't take long"

And the training truly didn't take long either and during one scenario they learned that Tonto's and Allison's skills with the bow and arrows were indeed needed and valuable

"Randolph, you have the bow and arrow set?"

"Yes"

"Think you can hit the enemy?"

"Yes"

"Good, so can I, tag team?"

"Tag team"

With their skills Allison and Tonto did pretty good in keeping the enemy away and allowing part of their unit to escape and get reinforcements in a decent time

"Okay, scenario over!"

"Okay...how did you keep the enemy back with just a bow and arrow set?"

"Practice, lots and lots and practice"

"And also some special arrows"

"But either way, the weapons now make sense in that you need them, or at the very least should have them as an option"

"The President is working on that with the Defense Secretary for Randolph, I've long had permission but haven't really needed them, but that might be changing soon but who knows"

"Okay, but we still also need to work with my job if that's the case"

"Yeah we're working on it Randolph"

"You sure it's going well Barricade?"

"As good as it can in any case"

"What problems are still there?"

"Location for one, that place you work at is  _small_ , the other main problem is that they need training in the do's and dont's of weapons from the military for reserve soldiers, you have Presidential permission for the weapons so that problem isn't involved at least"

"Since when?"

"Three days ago, we meant to tell you but unfortunately things happened which meant you never got the message"

"Well we know now at least, now then tomorrow's our last day of training here so what's the plan?"

"That's a surprise, no one will know what's going on until it happens, if something happens that is a real situation we'll let you know immediately as always"

"Like the fire in the garage yesterday"

"Exactly"

"That's something I don't get, you don't tell us it's a scenario until it's over more times than not and yet if it's the real thing you tell us immediately"

"That's because you need to believe it's the real thing, for some scenarios if you knew it was a scenario beforehand you would treat it differently and you know it"

"He has a point, I treat every scenario like it's the real thing, I have since I was very young because that's the way they've raised me, they always told me it was a scenario beforehand because it was too dangerous not to, but they taught me also to treat every scenario as if it was the real thing because you never know when it will be"

"So tomorrow is it then huh?"

"Yes, tomorrow is it"

Before sunrise the next day everyone was woken up to alarms going off and there was a scramble for clothes and weapons from almost everyone except two people, and even then the two people were part of the weapons scramble since none of the soldiers were allowed their weapons by their side. Once they were ready most went to guard posts while some went to the briefing room, and two of them were naturally Tonto and Allison

"Okay here's the situation, as Allison here knows Ultra Magnus regularly speaks for the three leaders who are either on Cybertron or Earth at all times, he's gone missing on the way to Earth from one of those talks, we also have word that enemies are possibly heading here that might have a connection to Magnus' disappearance"

Allison curses in Cybertronian quite violently for a few moments and then takes a deep breath to calm herself down

"Any other information Shockwave?"

"Sorry, none at the moment, we're lucky Soundwave managed to catch a distress signal from Magnus in the first place"

"Got it"

"Allison, you're our contact point with the EDC since you know Cybertronian and we might need things translated"

"Understood, Rodimus is Blaster available for the unit's use?"

"Yes he's at your disposal to communicate with Cybertron"

"Got it so that's where Soundwave is?"

"No, both are here on Earth however don't forget that Starscream is currently on Cybertron and he's in charge of the planet whenever Magnus isn't available"

"And he's also an emergency communication officer as of five years ago"

"Exactly"

"Okay, we'll try and figure things out, guys are you capable of hand to hand against the enemy?"

"Um...sorry Kerenai, I'm not confident in our capabilities in hand to hand, you on the other hand were trained for this from a young age"

"Fine, at least you guys are no longer at level one, now you're at level three due to other training you've already had"

"Not easily though, and I don't feel it's consistent either"

"Hit and miss is still better than nothing at all Captain, and if nothing else at least I know you can protect yourself long enough for those better able to fight to come to your aid"

"For now though it's time to get to work and see if we can't find Ultra Magnus today, or at least give the EDC some leads to follow after we're gone"

"Okay let's get to work"

Five hours later they found Ultra Magnus and were told that it was simply a training exercise


	6. Chapter 6

"Well thank goodness for that, well we all have our regular jobs to go back to tomorrow so we'd best get ready to do so"

"Of course you do, we're providing transportation to everyone, Allison your Captain called, you're not going back to Dallas, instead you're needed with John in Austin"

"Understood"

"Looks like we're both going to the same place this time"

"You're right Randolph, it's been a while hasn't it?"

"Yes, yes it has"

*Allison, there's something else you should know, but only you, the ones who accidentally gave you your abilities wants to do a special medical check, but they don't know that you've been changed and will no longer age, do you want them to know or not?*

*If it's not obvious without special tests than don't tell them, otherwise they'll have to know in case there are affects that I'm not aware of as of yet since it's not obvious to any of us*

*Got it*

*When do they want to do the check?*

*Not sure, they just contacted us about that, we'll contact you when they give us further information*

*Got it*

As they left the Captain asked Allison about the conversation since she translated everything so far

"What was that about back there?"

"Sorry Captain, it's personal"

"Understood, if it affects your health you know the rules"

"Indeed and I will follow the rules don't worry about that"

And so Allison went with Tonto to Austin

"John, do you know what we're needed for?"

"No I don't, all I know is that the person in charge of the police academy asked for the best Texas Rangers available who have slightly different views about our guns"

"Hm...well all we can do is go and find out what we're needed for"

"Indeed"

They go inside and the person in charge of the police academy welcomed them personally

"Thanks for coming, I asked for you because we have cadets that are a bit...gun heavy, in that I mean that they tend to bring out their weapons and going for lethal force before trying other methods including the taser, John is well known for going for his taser first and lethal force second, and even then he always goes for non lethal areas, you and your hand hits are getting infamous John, as for Allison, she has no problem going to lethal force, but she also tries a variety of other methods including the taser before she goes to the last resort of shooting to kill"

"We'll be happy to help, maybe hearing officers on the front line might help"

"I'm hoping so, you two are only two of several officers I have lined up over the next coming weeks, and you're not the only Texas Rangers either, however I deliberately put the two of you together since you are working in two different areas of the state and also have very different perspectives due to Allison being in the Army Reserves at the same time as being a Texas Ranger which means you have even  _more_  rules to have as guidelines and follow in your capacity as a law enforcement officer"

"Okay that makes sense then"

"Let's get to work then"

For the next week John and Allison did their best to get it through the cadet's  _really_  thick heads that there was a time for lethal force and there was a time for other measures, John even tried teaching them to shoot at non vital areas like the knees (he didn't trust their aim to be good enough to shoot guns out of hands like he'd done in his original and current time) but they weren't really successful in doing so

"Well you're only the beginning, hopefully after hearing more stories and examples they'll actually pay attention and learn the lesson"

"We can only hope"

"Well I'm needed back in Dallas"

"I'm surprised that you haven't been needed by the military except for monthly training as it is"

"I know, especially considering the situation going on in Europe right now"

"Well maybe it simply means he has other resources for the moment"

"Here's to hoping"

"Allison, one more thing, there's going to be an inter-Ranger training soon, though I don't have an exact date set yet, tell your Captain to be aware of upcoming announcements in the coming weeks and months"

"Understood"

She gets back and informs her Captain about the training that would be happening soon and then gets back to protecting Dallas, and was quickly involved in a routine problem that she got involved with at least once a month if not more often depending on the time of year and what was happening in the general area

"So, back to normal procedures with this group?"

"Yes, they need reminding I believe"

"How is it you're the only one who has control over them?"

"You guys allowed it, I'll teach you guys how to handle this group and let the group know that all officers have equal authority over them, EDC or not because that's part of the problem, they have a contract with the EDC and don't always get that they're not going to be dealing with the EDC exclusively when it comes to police matters, fire and and medical they've learned the lesson long ago, but the police lesson they're being plain stubborn about I think, but you definitely allowed it with having me always with you guys and not being firm enough yourselves"

"Okay so we've perpetuated the problem, however you're the only one who can communicate with them when extremely agitated since they resort to some sort of weird language"

"Okay...I'm surprised that the EDC hasn't given you guys the translator ear pieces yet because that's how I do it"

"Um...that's not the fault of the EDC, unfortunately that's Ranger Headquarters problem, because the governor has requested that the Texas Rangers at least have those translators but nothing has come from those requests"

"I may have to do some talking to people then"

"Except you were the only one to have any control over the group even before the ear piece"

"That's...that's complicated and once the ear pieces were introduced you should have gained control"

"That's if we had the ear pieces in the first place"

"True enough, but still you always needing me with these guys is getting ridiculous, if there's a hostage situation or some other emergency I'm already involved in I can't drop everything and come deal with these guys"

"Well in any case, we still have the situation to deal with this time"

"True enough, and I'll talk to the group about how all police have authority over them EDC involvement or not"

It took over three hours but finally, after so many failed attempts the group understood that any police officer had the authority to deal with them at any given time

" _Finally_  it's taken forever to get through to them about the police having the proper authority"

"So everything is finally resolved in that all police officers can deal with them?"

"Yes, at least Texas Rangers will have easy access, and while they will deal with local police officers they still want to deal with Texas Rangers when possible since we're not as easy to bribe, plus a few other facts that I can't tell you right now"

"At least things are going to go smoother from now on, though we'll still have communication problems without those ear pieces from time to time"

"I'll get to work on that, before you ask how I have it part of the reason is that I'm in the reserves"

"We knew that bit"

"For now time to get back to headquarters and write down our reports"

And that's exactly what they do

"Are you certain that things will go easier with these guys?"

"Well the true test is the next time police intervention is needed but here's to hoping, for now though once these reports are done I have a fight on my hands"

"Fight?"

"Yes, I'm going to make sure that the Texas Rangers finally get those ear piece translators"

"That is going to be a fight, and if you're suddenly on active duty the fight will last longer"

"Not entirely because I'm going to designate a secondary for the fight which means I'm not the only person that they'll have to deal with, and this person will be much closer to those idiots blocking the permission to have the ear pieces"

"Oh?"

"Yep, they're in Austin which is where headquarters is"

"That's good to know, but hopefully it's not needed"

"Agreed, but at least I have a secondary just in case"

"True enough, I guess you're going to be on the phone regularly than?"

"Yes, thus I request that I'm not disturbed unless necessary"

"We'll make sure of it"

"Thanks, I'll make the call to my secondary first so that he understands what's going on and what would be needed if I am suddenly deployed without winning the argument about the ear pieces"

"Will you be involving him in your talks?"

"No, but I will let them know that I will have someone fighting on my behalf if I am called for active duty, and that they will be identifying themselves as such if I need them to act"

It took two weeks and a lot of arguing but finally Allison won the fight and had the Texas Rangers gain access to the ear piece translators which would make talking to certain groups much easier, though a translator service would still be needed depending on several factors

"Okay, you guys should be getting the ear pieces within two weeks"

"Good to know"

Suddenly the news was being payed attention to quite closely and everyone could see John blindfolded, but everyone could hear the captors

"Join us or die"

"How many times are you going to ask me that?"

"Fine, be assured that this is now live and everyone is watching you whenever we feel like it"

Suddenly the feed is cut and there was speculation about John

"He'll never hold up, he's going to betray us to the terrorists"

When Allison heard that she couldn't keep quiet at all

"John would rather die than betray the country he loves!, and that also goes for others betraying the country to save him as well"

Allison's Captain gives the signal that meant his office immediately

"You've seen this situation before haven't you?"

"Yes, two years before we put him, Tonto and Dan into the Cryogenic pods the EDC officers and I stuck in the past were waiting for the Lone Ranger and Tonto at a fort that knew the two and as such allowed us to wait there for them before we ourselves went on to our next destination. We didn't know when they would arrive at the fort and had already been waiting two days when suddenly a scouting party came back, but it was not only before their scheduled arrival but they were riding too hard and fast for it to be a normal return. When we met up with them the person in front was holding Tonto in his arms to keep him on the horse. Tonto was unconscious and seriously injured and thus rushed to the medics. The leader of the scouting party said that they had found Tonto like that and that the Lone Ranger was no where's to be found though a search party had been sent out. Three days later the search party had come back empty handed and Tonto finally woke up and told his story to the fort commander. It turned out that the two had been ambushed and separated, Tonto was heading to the fort on the Lone Ranger's orders and had been caught in a secondary ambush by the people who to wanted attack an Army pay roll, when that was discovered the EDC officers and I immediately offered our services but were denied initially, but that was only because while we're decent trackers we weren't at the level of Tonto and the fort commander wanted him to help. Once Tonto was better we scouted for three months to find signs of the Lone Ranger, it wasn't easy and we lost the trail a few times but Tonto always picked it back up. Finally we found him barely alive and basically in a coma, he was unconscious for three weeks and Tonto...Tonto almost gave up hope a few times of him ever waking up again but those of us from modern days kept his hopes up by explaining the concept of a coma, warning him though that those things are highly unpredictable. Finally he did wake up and told his side of the story, how they had tortured him daily and tried to make him betray his country, but that he had never given in, he had been severely beaten, whipped and poisoned over the course of his captivity, but he survived and once awake recovered remarkably quickly"

"But still, that's how you know he would never betray the country, because he's almost died to protect it before"

"Exactly, he would rather choose death than to force us to make such a decision to save his life, or before he himself made such a decision"

"I understand and will believe in his strength as well"

"Thank you sir"

It took several days but finally John was rescued without any compromise with the criminals, but he was in a  _bad_  way

"He...he may not survive the torture was that bad"

"No...he'll pull through, I know he will"

"Unfortunately you're needed in Dallas Allison"

"I know, fortunately Randolph has been given leave to remain by his side as long as possible as has someone else with an even closer connection to John"

"Allison, do you want to be informed if...if he..."

"Yes, however only the hospital is to inform me in that situation I know that Randolph and the other person will tell me what I believe to be true, it's an agreement long made"

"Fine"

A week later Allison received a phone call from Tonto that John was getting stronger every day, he was still more out of it than in with it because of heavy painkillers but though slow he was improving

"Good to hear Randolph, do you know if...okay so it's going to take a while but he will?...bye"

Allison hangs up and the Captain speaks to her immediately afterwords

"So good news?"

"Yes, John's getting better every day, if a little slowly, it's going to take a lot of work and time but he'll be back to work eventually"

"That's good to hear"

Suddenly the radio bands went off and explained that there was trouble of the EDC kind, but that until they got there to get things under control all officers available were needed and that included the Texas Rangers

"Well that isn't good"

"Allison..."

"I know, but there's no choice, fortunately this is already covered under other things so there won't be many problems"

"But still, for you to go to that distance..."

"I did it with the hot tempered officer"

(Sighs) "I know, and honestly I also know that I really can't argue with you about what you do and don't do with that distance, that it's up to you to decide if it's needed or not, but be careful...please, I don't want to lose you to a misunderstanding"

"You won't, there have been protections in place for a very long time Captain, things will be fine I promise"

"Very well, I trust you"

"Captain I know that tone of voice, you don't trust me but I know for a fact that you trust my family with my protection"

"Yes I have absolute trust in your family protecting you, but tell me how could you tell my tone of voice says I don't trust you personally?, wait I know, I thought I had gotten better about that"

"Sorry Captain, hardly anyone can fool me, I have too good an ear for a reason"


	7. Chapter 7

They all start handling the disturbance and Allison did indeed have to use her abilities, her control was at the level where she technically didn't have to say anything at all, a simple motion and thought would do quite well but she still always spoke aloud for her allies benefit because her powers were  _dangerous_ , not only to the enemy but to her allies as well depending on what the abilities were since the powers could not distinguish between friend or foe

"Arranyan energy ball!"

She throws the ball and then goes down to a knee and also breathing heavily because of the fact that while her powers weren't all energy intensive she had been going at it for a while and some were her more powerful abilities, and the longer she used her abilities or the stronger her abilities were the quicker she got exhausted, and her Captain was close enough to see her go to a knee and breath heavily

"Kerenai you're getting exhausted, I think you need to take a break with your powers, they're not doing much anyways for some reason"

"Yeah...that's a...good suggestion...fortunately the EDC...is here"

"If it goes into hand to hand can you fight?"

"Yeah, I can manage if it gets there, but for now, keep shooting it out"

It took longer than expected but finally the fighting was over with

"Okay, that took way longer than expected"

"Agreed"

"Captain, I'll be back later for clean up, I have to go with the EDC right now, I have to make sure that my family is okay especially..."

"I know, go check on Soundwave and his cassettes, I saw them get hit just as you did"

"Thanks, they...they looked..."

"I'm sure that they'll be okay, but I also know that you need assurance in person, go I'll get a report from you later...oh can you ask your family to give me a report as well?"

"That'll be automatic considering everything that happened today"

"It's not always automatic, even with us involved"

"I know, but with all police departments involved they have to give a report to every department, there's too much damage and too many casualties with the police to not have a report for the Texas Rangers once it's ready"

Allison goes to the base and a few hours later was back at Ranger headquarters

"Hey Allison, Captain wants to talk to you once you're back, he said you had a family issue to take care of, is it resolved?"

"Yes it's resolved, I'll go to the Captain and tell him myself"

Allison then quickly gets to her Captain's office, when he signaled that she could sit she did so quite heavily which indicated a problem

"Well?"

"They'll be fine, out of action for a few days and then light duty for a bit longer but overall they're okay, it looked worse than what it actually was, the main problem was some sort of...well psychic attack for lack of better words for what happened, that's what really took them out and unconscious"

"And the reports I need?"

Allison gives out a heavy sigh and her tone of voice was heavy which was another indicator

"Give them a week, the damage was severe enough that it's going to take the EDC time to compile the reports for the police, but I talked to Optimus and he said that as soon as the EDC reports are ready all police stations including the Texas Rangers will be getting their report, as for my personal report give me a few hours and you'll have it on your desk"

"What's wrong Allison? I know you, you never treat the chair to that kind of abuse without a reason I've been your Captain for two years now and know your habits"

"My voice also gives me away I know, we may not have lost any of my family members but the attack has put critical negotiations back to the starting point, plus Soundwave and his cassettes weren't the only ones badly injured, Wheeljack, Inferno, Thundercracker and Hook were also injured while using a weapon that Wheeljack and Perceptor co-created, it wasn't the weapon at fault, it was the enemy attacking the weapon which caused the explosion, we weren't aware of it because the injuries were in an area we were not involved with"

"It's bad isn't it?"

"Yeah, one combiner team out of action, a researcher, a fire fighter and Starscream's second in command on top of one of our communication officers"

"How bad off were those four?"

"Bad, Wheeljack is in their version of a medically induced coma, Inferno is blind and missing an arm until more supplies are available, Thundercracker can't fly for not only lack of wings but something in the explosion scrambled his brain and the damage can't be repaired for a while either and Hook...he's paralyzed and Ratchet doesn't know if he'll ever walk again"

"You're worried about your family aren't you?"

"I'm always worried about them Captain, it's just that the worry is more prevalent right now and stronger than normal all things considered, but it's been agreed upon by the three leaders and I that I need to continue my jobs as both an Army Reserve and a Texas Ranger, if they need me they'll call me"

"You sure about that?"

"Oh yeah, we have long standing contracts and agreements with each other and the government"

"Okay, but if I see you affected by this I  _am_  either putting you on light duty or completely relieving you of duty for a few days"

"Understood sir"

"Allison, Randolph is coming here for a bit, he said something about how John would want it that ways"

"I don't know...I think he needs to stay with John and Dan"

"He'll fight you on that one when he gets here"

"True, but this is a wait and see situation since he's most likely already on the way here"

"Yeah, when I talked to him he was about two hours out"

"Fine, me and him are going to have a talk, there's a reason I want him with John and Dan besides the obvious deep friendship"

"When he gets here I'll give you my office, in the meantime what on Earth are you reading in your spare time?...that flood gave us a chance to see your newest reading interest"

"Special journals, that's all I'm going to tell you"

"Very well I know better than to pry, but there are people that are starting to get too curious for their own good"

"Keep them under as much control as possible, if it comes to it I will leave the journals at home"

"Okay then, I'll let you know if it's needed, for now I think you've earned some downtime all things considered"

"Oh no, I have reports to write"

"Fine, but no one's going home for a while so once the reports are done you have down time"

Several hours later Allison finally had time to read the journal, Tonto had indeed arrived after two hours and after talking it was decided that Tonto would stay, the main reason he had come was because of the fact that they had heard of the attack in Austin and he was one of the volunteers to help out until things had settled back to normal, as such Allison couldn't argue with him about staying to help. She quickly went to the place she had left off, she hadn't actually gotten far since getting the journals, but considering how busy she'd been it was understandable

_Day 59_

It's been almost two months since that day I lost you guys and things are coming to what Allison called as a climax, I just call it coming to a fevered pitch. The government has been having more and more trouble lately with the news finally spreading faster about the loss of Tonto and the Lone Ranger, I've been doing my best to do things your way guys would do it, especially you Lone Ranger, but it's not easy to do so constantly. I've actually had to kill a few people to save the lives of others but I mainly now try for their weapons, I just don't always succeed, or if I do they keep fighting and the law is forced to take action and kill them instead. I have also spoken to the President and he wants me to become a government agent instead of what I do now but I don't know if I should, I feel like it's better for me to be a freelancer especially with the mission that Allison has given me in making sure that none of her enemies have secretly remained, in other news...

Several entries later and Allison was ready for some sleep. Over the next two weeks she and Tonto were pretty busy getting things back in order, Tonto helped with training new paramedics in the field while Allison and her fellow Rangers picked up the slack for the regular police officers that were unfortunately spread out way too thin due to their losses. As for the Captain he never found out that Allison had wanted Tonto to stay with John and Dan due to being the best protection for them, what with John recovering pretty slowly while Dan didn't have a permit for a weapon and even if he did it wouldn't have applied to hospitals, but that had been resolved by Allison's family posting EDC guards once John was well enough to go to physical therapy, and they did that knowing that Tonto was needed more in Dallas than by John and Dan's side

"By the way Randolph, has the room issue been resolved?"

"Yes, I finally have my weapons and equipment at my workplace"

"That's good to hear"

"Equipment?"

"Weapons?"

"He's in my Reserve unit, unfortunately until now he's been unable to keep his Army equipment at his workplace, as you well know there are times when in the Reserves I need my Army equipment with me at work, due to being a Texas Ranger that's a pretty easy job, but other locations aren't as good, and with Randolph part of the problem was how small his work location was or even is which means no room for what he needs on hand at all times for the Army"

"Well for now it's time for me to get back to Austin"

"Right, tell the other two I want to get all four of us together for a simple day of relaxing at some point"

"Will do"

And so Tonto leaves for Austin, and a few months later the four did have a simple reunion and actually got a full week of just being able to relax together. Over the next fourteen years things settled into a routine with Tonto and Allison going active duty three different time in the intervening years for short terms while John became a well known Texas Ranger as fair and Dan had a decent career as a lawyer, but then everything changed one day and the United States government needed John as a person he hadn't been in fourteen years, at least not physically, though spiritually he had always been that person

"John...you're needed by the government again"

"But I already serve the government"

"No John...you serve the state of Texas, but the United States now needs you, it needs you in a way that you haven't been needed as for fourteen years"

"What do you mean?"

"Come with me, I'll show you"

And so John follows Allison to the EDC base in Austin and she heads straight for a rarely used area on said base and then goes straight to the wall. When she puts her right hand on the wall a panel suddenly opens up and she enters a seven digit code opening an even smaller panel, which had something inside which she pulled out and then turns back towards John

"This is something we've kept in our care for many years now, however what's in this box rightfully belongs to you"

She opens the box and inside John sees his mask and guns, the mask and guns that symbolize him as the Lone Ranger

"But...but you told me..."

"I know, however you're needed again...Lone Ranger, the United States government specifically needs the Lone Ranger once more, there's a letter for you written and signed by the President which allows you to be the Lone Ranger once more, I don't know the full story as he is coming in person to tell you your mission but what I do know is that it involves some reservations and cattlemen, other than that I don't know the full story"

"I...I understand, thank you for keeping these safe for me"

"You're welcome we...the EDC made sure to have a silver mine so that we can make your bullets when you came back, it's not the same as the silver from your mine but...it should do I hope"

"To even get a silver mine in the first place must have been difficult"

"It was, and I wasn't involved in the negotiations so I don't know the full story on how we even got the mine in the first place"

"Well thank you for the silver that you could get anyways"

What Allison didn't know was that Arizona Lawson had managed to get the Lone Ranger's silver mine through legal finagling that was needed since the mine was a secret, it involved the Padre that was known to be the Lone Ranger's friend, the person who took care of the mine for the Lone Ranger and Dan and three different lawyers. When Arizona realized that he was going to die he made sure that the mine went into the care of the United States government via the sitting President. Unfortunately at the time that the EDC fought to buy a silver mine the President of the time was unaware that he had care of a silver mine since that information is passed down from President to President but in a way that meant that it wasn't accessed unless it was needed. However now that it was needed the President made sure that everything was legally up to date and was coming with not only the Lone Ranger's mission but also the paperwork that once again put the silver mine in the care of both the Lone Ranger and Dan, the current President did know that the EDC also had a silver mine for the Lone Ranger's use but decided that the EDC silver would be the back up in case the Lone Ranger's mine ever ran out of silver or some other complication came up

"The President said he'd be here in a few days, when that happens I'll lead him to you hopefully in the mask"

And just like Allison said a few days later the Lone Ranger and the President were meeting face to face, John had put the mask and belt back on looking like he used to in the old west, and once they were alone the President explained the Lone Ranger's mission to him in full

"Sir, what about Tonto and Dan?"

"Dan has orders from me to stay put unless you ask for him through me, as for Tonto...there's something you should know, something you should have been told immediately but it was decided that you would instead be told in person" (sighs) "as you know Tonto was in Washington due to his actions on the field of battle while being borrowed by another military unit, he was at the White House when he noticed a visitor acting strange...he...he took a bullet for me Lone Ranger, Tonto...Tonto is dead he died soon after being hit by the bullet, he simply bled out too fast"

"When...has his funeral already happened?"

"No, but it'll be before you get there, it was scheduled for today and the Vice-President is there representing the Federal Government"

"I understand"

"I'm sorry you had to hear of it this ways instead of immediately, but like I said it was felt that this was better told to you in person"

"What about Dan and Allison?"

"Dan was told immediately, primarily because he was in Washington at the time, as for Allison she has yet to be told"

"The news?"

"Has kept it quiet on my order so far, his military unit is being told today as well"

"Sir, I want to be the one to tell Allison"

"NO...no Lone Ranger, this is my responsibility not yours, besides I have special orders for her as well that I didn't trust even over the courier system that we have"

"Understood sir, at least...at least Dan should be able to attend the funeral"

"Yes, that's the plan"

Once the President finished a few more things with the Lone Ranger he went to Allison and gave her his special orders in regards to a cross-training thing that was happening soon, that's also when she found out about Tonto's "death" because Tonto was actually still alive, still in critical condition but alive. However certain criminal aspects needed to believe his death for plans that only the President knew of since they were secret plans only in his mind, as such Tonto's friends needed to believe his death and while the President knew they would never tell people the truth they could act unconsciously different, even Allison and that would put Tonto in grave danger and he just couldn't risk it, fortunately he knew that the three would understand his reasons once they found out the truth and wouldn't do anything to him in retaliation...at least not much in retaliation because of the fact that Allison was known to retaliate on occasion even when the reasoning behind certain actions were valid, but if the reasoning  _was_  valid she didn't do anything too serious to that person just primarily harmless practical jokes

"Well, here's to hoping that she's reasonable when she finds out the truth...at least if he actually survives this situation"

And so while Allison focuses on the cross-training situation John becomes the Lone Ranger once again rode, he discovered that the problem was that the ranchers had decided that they had had enough of the government allowing the reservation to hunt off their land on occasion plus some of their rituals were annoying the ranchers as well, fortunately he resolved the situation over the next several weeks allowing a new sense of understanding to happen, because while things had improved greatly over the years he had seen there was still always work when complacency happened. Meanwhile with Allison her Captain had already been informed about Tonto and decided to do a double check on her for a reason

"Hey Allison, did...did you hear about Randolph?"

"Yeah I heard"

"How's your family?, last I heard Hook was seriously injured again"

"He'll be fine, it looked worse than it actually was"

"Still fourteen years ago..."

"Yeah that was a bad time, we nearly lost Wheeljack a few times in their version of a coma, while the others were on light or no duty for much longer than anticipated, and Hook came close to permanent paralyzation, but fortunately we came out of that situation stronger, but now...well physically everyone will be alright but emotionally regarding Randolph..."

"Understandable"

While Allison starts packing he does his two part observation, because her tone of voice was only one part, how she prepared for her first mission after finding out about Tonto was the second part and he could tell that she was  _not_  happy and could actually be very dangerous to be around, however with her knowing Russian she was critical to the mission since the cross-training involved the Russian army. As such he resolved to warn not only the unit, who was going to have to get used to a new field medic, but also the Russian army about her emotional control. Fortunately almost everyone but some of the newest members of the unit were already used to her being very biting and snappy whenever she wasn't happy about a situation and could read her almost like a book and so knew when to be around her and when not to be around her whenever it was down time, and because of that experience could warn other when and when not to go to her, he went over to the rest of the unit while Allison was packing

"Okay everyone, fair warning Allison is in a foul mood due to what we've heard about Randolph"

"Understood"

"What's going on?"

"You'll see shortly, but the primary thing you need to remember is watch those more experienced around Allison when she's in a mood and obey our instructions regarding her"

"Yes sir"

Once the veteran members of the unit finally saw Allison they all winced in unison at what was going on and once the training started spent the next three weeks keeping everyone safe from Allison's temper flares, they were also witness at least twice to a special ceremony that they didn't understand, it was a mourning ceremony that they had never seen before and thus didn't recognize it as such

"Oh Tonto...I wish I had been with you that day, if only...well too late for if only's I guess"

"Allison?..."

"Fine Captain, just needed some alone time"

"Very well"

The training continued until it was interrupted by an emergency when they were told that some people had gone to an area that had been deserted for many years now

"But, no one, not even criminals go to an area that's been forbidden by the EDC for safety reasons, not unless...oh no, no, no, no, no, no, it's impossible"  
Allison rushes to a nearby computer and then starts saying things under her breath that unfortunately everyone could hear

"Emergency access, authorization codes for said access, security cameras and system up-link...okay and I'm in"

They immediately saw that it was one lone person against not only an oil spill but also EDC enemies, when that was seen Allison immediately sent a message to the EDC but everyone at the training saw that they were the closest to the emergency and thus were the only ones able to help

"Allison, ask the Russian army if they want to help, we already have our orders to do so, these as you well know are standing orders"

"Right"

She turns to the Russian officers who looked ready for action at a single word from America and their own government

*Do you want to help us?*

*Yes, as long as we have permission from the government we're joining you*

*Ask quickly then*

On the way to the location Allison pulled out a now well worn journal, she as well as the other three had read and re-read the journals left behind by Arizona a lot over the past fourteen years, she herself had all the journals on her at all times and decided that the final entry was the most pertinent at the time

_Day 4392_

This is the last journal entry I will ever write, as you know over the last several entries I have mentioned becoming ill I...I get weaker every day, it's gotten to the point where I know I will soon be too weak to even pick up a pen, as such what strength and money I have left will be spent getting the journals to a safe place, though I can't explain for my own safety, but if I manage to make it you will find that out in person, if I fail I will find a way to get the journals to their ultimate destination before it finally reaches you but hopefully my strength holds out, maybe in Allison's day and age there might be a cure for whatever I have but as of now all doctors say it's fatal. The padre has promised me that he will keep the watch up for as long as he can, hopefully by the time he is no longer able to keep up the watch it will no longer be needed, this is Arizona Lawson signing off

Allison closes the journal and simply sighs, but no one payed too much attention to that due to her unit knowing how she acted whenever she read the journals

"Allison, about how much longer do you think until we get to our objective?"

"At least another hour Captain"

"You know I still want to know how you keep track of time while reading those journals of yours"

"Trade secret Captain"

"Understood Allison"

"Oh, one more thing, once we land ranks or last names only, security measure guys"

"Understood"

The group soon lands and it was a fight from the start, the Russians deliberately chose to focus on the oil spill because of their recent experience and thus they themselves had the tools necessary to handle that situation, two soldiers stayed to help with guarding but the Russians were also aware of possible attacks and as such also kept an eye on things, the rest of the group attacked the EDC enemies, Allison was showing just why she always kept her bow and arrows on her and that she was always keeping her skills up, even managing several tricky shots

"Come on, follow me!"

"Right, you guys getting me out?"

"Yes and you're also answering some questions about what you're doing here alone with no EDC backup"

"Oh trust me this was  _not_  in the plan"

"Then what was the plan?"

"The plan was to do a quick fly by as a routine check that everything was okay before going on to my actual destination, when I saw that there was an oil spill I figured the instability was getting worse and had decided to call it in to the EDC when I discovered that there was an area jam, that's when I saw these guys and since I was the only person available I took action. I finally managed to temporarily break through the jamming but I had no idea if it would get to the location I needed so I just hoped that the signal would go as far as it could and that it would reach someone who would be able to help"

"Well for now we need to get going"

"Right, because honestly the instability is indeed getting worse"

"Right EDC surveyors will be needed, later though for now run!"

Finally everyone was back on the planes and getting to the safety of Russia, during the flight back Allison and the field medic both took care of all the injured including their surprise passenger, Allison dealing with the Russian soldiers while the medic took care of the team

"Well, for now I've done everything I can, everyone needs to be checked out further once we land at the Russian base, and  _you_  mister are in desperate need of sleep, but otherwise we're good"

"I know...I need sleep...wake me...when...we...get...there"

With that their surprise passenger goes to sleep while the others simply relax for the rest of the plane ride. Once back at base everyone was sent to the base hospital for further checks and all were admitted for at least two days for their injuries, some for longer but finally the American unit and the American citizen were allowed to go back home

"So, what was your original destination anyways?"

"Doesn't matter now since someone else would have been assigned the mission when I failed to get there on time"

"Is there any place I can drop you off?"

"Maybe, we'll see when we land"

"Very well"

When they do land Allison unfortunately is unable to give a ride to the stranger as she had promised due to a message stating that the Texas Rangers needed her urgently back on duty, not even her normal two day downtime would be given, as such she immediately headed to work and went straight to her Captain due to certain procedures already in place

"Okay Captain, what's been going on for three weeks that requires the standard two day downtime routine to be broken?"

"Illness, injury, two deaths and covering the normal police officers due to them also suffering from illness related absences"

"Okay, no wonder you need me immediately back on duty, other Rangers also temporary covering?"

"Yes, including John"

"Understood sir"

Three hours later and Allison was taking cover with a regular police officer during a drug raid due to the fact that they were being fired on, and not by ordinary weapons either

"Okay...annoyed now"

"What are you going to do about that, and why are you annoyed anyways?"

"The reason I'm annoyed is because no one told me that criminals got their hands on these types of weapons, as for what I'm going to do, that's simple I'm going to do what it takes to get rid of those weapons and then we're going to continue the raid with backup from the EDC in case I miss any weapons, this is all going to be done legal but the criminals are going to learn not to do this again if I have any say about it"

Allison then activates her shields and with careful coordination and planning the raid is eventually done and they hit a good load too

"Kerenai, there's no more of the weapons you were worried about"

"Thanks for checking Lt. I'm sorry for calling you in on a day off"

"It was needed, I understand, better safe than sorry in my mind, and if you hadn't called think about what your family might have done when they found out"

"Good point"

"We'll confiscate the weapons you dealt with anyways and keep a more careful lookout for more situations like what we just encountered, sorry we didn't keep a close enough watch for this time"

"Well, I know you guys try your best about it, I just wish we had known about the weapons beforehand is all"

"Well for now it's time for reports"

"Right, tell the family about this and see if the weapons are being destroyed, and also tell them we might need a new tracking system"

"Will do, they'll ask you in person at some point for ideas you know"

"I know, but for now I need to do my duty as a Texas Ranger"

The next day John went back to Austin while Allison continued her work in Dallas, a month later Allison was in Washington due to a family issue and decided to join in the regular White House tours as a means of relaxing, plus she was there doing a secret security test that was unscheduled by anyone but she knew it was for the best

"Well, time to see if these guys will pass the unscheduled security test"

The first layer which was the gate failed the test, but Allison knew that they were new people, she hoped that the rest of the group would stop her and pass the test

"Okay gate people fail, but hopefully the inside people will notice...and I'm going to be keeping an eye on things as well it looks like"

What had set Allison on alert was known criminals, at least known criminals in the military world and since she didn't know what they were up to she knew it better to keep an eye on them discreetly than to leave them be. When she got inside however she didn't get a chance to put her plan into action since the inside Secret Service people stopped her and the criminals, Allison was easily released when she showed her permits and explained she had decided to test security, the criminals however were immediately put into custody and transferred to a secure prison

"I'll just rejoin the tour then, thanks for making sure that the military criminals were secure"

"No problem Kerenai"

Just as Allison was finishing the tour she was stopped again, but this time it was because the President wanted to talk to her in his office, as soon as she was in front of the desk she immediately stood at attention as only anyone in the military would when faced with their commander-in-chief

"You wanted to see me sir?"

"At ease Kerenai, there's some things we need to talk about and it will be better if we're not formal with each other, as such I am ordering you to stay relaxed around me for this meeting"

"Yes sir"

As Allison obeyed the order her stance immediately relaxed before the two went to the couch in the office

"There's some things we need to talk about, and one of them is what happened almost two months ago"

"Tonto's death"

"Yes, now then you cannot tell anyone in your unit, John and Dan are also unable to be told, however I can't keep this a secret from you any longer due to the fact that it's too dangerous"

"What are you talking about sir?"

"Tonto's alive Kerenai, he's actually the one your unit rescued a month ago with the Russian army helping"

"A...alive, he's truly alive?"

"Yes, I lied to everyone that day, and we held a fake funeral due to the enemies being smart. The enemy is a group of international terrorists who are primarily after my life, however they are also after the EDC technology and Cybertronian lives, though their reasons behind going after your family is unknown, for me it's because I have been fighting them in secret since I entered office"

"Why can't anyone else know? John and Dan...they...they've known Tonto longer than I have, and our reserve unit has been struggling with Tonto's loss as well"

"I know, however these terrorists have a way of knowing if someone is onto them and they also go after friends and family of those who protect their targets,  _especially_  if the friends and family suspect that the person is actually still alive somehow. I wouldn't get you involved except for the fact that Tonto needs help and I know that you can protect yourself and your family with your abilities"

"I want to believe you sir, but I need proof that what you've said is true, that Tonto's alive"

"I understand, you've been lied to too often"

"Exactly, and sir, while I  _do_  understand why you've lied I'm still going to get back at you for lying not only to me but to John and Dan"

The President winces and sighs

"I was hoping you wouldn't, but what are you going to do to me?"

"Nothing too serious, but what it is will be a surprise"

What the President didn't know was that what Allison was planning involved his official European tour, primarily his wardrobe but also a few of his private meetings with Prime Ministers and leaders of specific countries, nothing too bad but instead of his normal fare in regards to food it will be things that he would normally never eat. However with the food she was already doing research to take care that the joke didn't get into dangerous territory of anaphylactic allergies to food, at least with known food allergies because she knew that there was always a chance of an unknown food allergy which no one can predict or truly prepare for and she knew that but she was taking every known precaution to hopefully avoid any problems. The President did know that whatever it was would be harmless since the reasoning was very much valid

"There's more Kerenai, I...I need you to go undercover and help Tonto, your unit will be told that you're dead"

"No Mr. President, my unit can't handle any more loss, yes they were extremely cautious around me because of my temper, but sir if they think me dead as well..."

"You're right of course, but still we have to find a way of getting you into the fight"

"Let me think on it and I'll get back to you, however for now can I see Tonto?"

"Yes, come with me"

Allison follows the President who leads her to another section of the White House because Tonto was staying for a few days after a very close call in the field. As soon as Allison saw Tonto she knew it was the same person she and her unit had rescued a month earlier and now that he wasn't actually wearing color dye to make his skin slightly lighter she also realized that she would have known it immediately that day, as it is she simply went over to him and hugged him with a sigh of pure relief

"It's good to see you Tonto, I thought you were dead"

"I know, unfortunately there wasn't much choice by the President, as it is I was critical for the first week after being shot, I surprised everyone at how fast I recovered once awake"

"I'm sure you did, you and John always do seem to recover quickly from almost anything"

"Well for now I still have work to do"

"I know, and I'm going to join you in said work, I need to know how we can get me involved without anyone thinking me dead"

"That's going to be tricky"

"I know, but it's needed"

Together they come up with a very solid plan, during the next training weekend Allison will purposely injure herself, it won't be too serious but serious enough that she will have to be dismissed for the rest of the weekend training, when that happens she will send a President a message who will then send a message to the Texas Rangers and her family that she would be invited overseas with him once healed as a special guest during his European tour and during the tour something would happen which would keep her in Europe, though what would happen they were unsure of yet as the President needed to be the one to decide what would keep her there

"Let's just hope that he agrees with the plan because otherwise it will all be for naught"

Fortunately the President was in full agreement about the plan that the two created

"But please Kerenai, be careful I don't think your unit can handle anything too serious happening to you, you already know this but I also thought about it after you left and realized that you're right"

"I know sir"

"For now you need more to this story, Tonto may have survived and recovered pretty quickly, but I think he's still suffering the after affects even after two months"

"I am, I hide it pretty well but I am suffering from weakness still, the most obvious is I still get tired more easily"

(Sighs) "I wish the President hadn't taken his drastic measures to protect you, if he hadn't my family would be able to check you over to see if anything was missed unintentionally"

"Well things are the way they are unfortunately, for now though we need to start making preparations for this mission"

"Right, you're going to have to be believable you know"

"I know, no one can know you're alive right now, don't worry I can lie to our unit for long enough and my job doesn't know me well enough anymore to tell a difference"

"Allison what happened to make it that ways?"

"Retirement and on duty death over the past month, the retirement is medical retirement by the way"

"The explosion on the news"

"Yes, the explosion on the news"

"And naturally John is still in Austin"

"Exactly"

"Allison how are they?"

"They're fine Tonto, missing you terribly still what with it only being two months since your 'death' but for the most part the healing has started"

The next week was actually the annual training for the reserves and Allison actually did more than originally planned, what she  _planned_  to be dismissed for the rest of the weekend was a dislocated shoulder, what happened was not only the dislocated shoulder but also a broken wrist

"This wasn't in the plans Kerenai"

"I know Mr. President, this wrist wasn't exactly planned"

"Well nothing for it now, we're still on for our plans right?"

"Yes sir"


	8. Chapter 8

During the European tour he finally learned the retaliation that Allison planned for him, his wardrobe was in bright clashing colors for specific events, and the food was definitely not what he would normally have, there was ultimately one incident of anaphylactic shock because no one knew that the President was allergic to one of the fruits in the meal that was common in Europe, that was because he'd never had the fruit before and as such was unaware of the allergy, however the second day he had the fruit they discovered the allergy the hard way

"Sorry about this Mr. President, I never meant for you to come to harm by having you eat things you normally wouldn't have"

"Not your fault Kerenai, no one knew of this allergy since this is only the second time I've had that food, I know that you would never intentionally harm me in retaliation for not telling you about Tonto"

"Yes sir, I did very careful research beforehand so as to keep anyone from having an anaphylactic reaction to the food that they had, unfortunately like you said I couldn't predict first time exposure causing allergic reactions"

"By the way, did you get checked out while they did emergency treatment?"

"Yes sir, the wrist isn't quite ready to be taken out of the cast, but my shoulder is better"

"That's good to hear, listen it's almost time for me to return home, as such it's getting time for you to remain behind and the Prime Minister of Luxembourg has agreed to help with the plan even though he doesn't know the full story behind your assignment he's going to falsify a statement along with me that he wants to learn more about police procedures in a particular state to see if he can make any changes that would help and has invited you to stay with him for a few months"

"Which gives us the cover we need for me to safely disappear without worrying my family or jobs"

"Exactly"

"Do you have any further orders for me?"

"Yes Kerenai, I need you to give me regular reports, just like Tonto does, that's even more critical for you since you'll be in Europe and away from more immediate help against the terrorists"

"Understood sir"

"And Kerenai, we're going to be working on codes for you so that I know if you're okay and if you're not through regular phone calls"

"Works for me and the best for everyone to be honest"

"Okay then, oh...do you want your journals you left behind sent to you?"

" _No_...no I don't they're safest where they are"

"Except that might be suspicious since you always have your journals on you"

"Not entirely, my family always keeps my journals safe if I'm going to be gone for an extended period of time in an unknown situation, you may have never heard of it but I never brought the journals with me on active duty, as such it's not unreasonable for me to keep the journals with my family if I'm going to be overseas for several months, even if I'm known to be safe I can't have the journals with me at all times during the supposed talks and possible visits to police stations"

"Okay then it's your choice, I just thought you would want some sort of comfort from home is all"

"I know sir, however that's impossible for right now, it's just too dangerous"

"Very well then I will respect your decision"

"Thank you sir, oh could you ask my family if they could make a digital copy of the journals at some point and give that copy to you, for now it's so that Tonto can read the journals again without suspicion however once he's known to be alive again it's so that if something like this ever comes up again I can actually have the journals with me without risking the actual copies"

"Of course"

"For now though we still have work to do before you leave and I stay behind"

"Right"

"According to your lead agent you'll be released tomorrow"

"That's good to hear"

"You know that when you get back you're going to have to see an allergist and make sure to carry an epi-pen at all times right?"

"I know"

"Well for now I have to get some sleep, see you in the morning Mr. President"

The next day the President was released and they finalized the plans that were needed to allow Allison to stay behind, including the code phrases that would be needed whenever she made her phone call to report in

"Well all that's left is for the tour to finish"

"I'm surprised it wasn't ended early on account of your allergic reaction"

"Oh it was tried, but even my personal physician said that as long as we're careful about what I eat from now on I should be fine to finish my European tour"

"Okay then"

Three days later the President left while Allison stayed behind

"Kerenai, if you need it I will be the contact point for the government"

"But I might need to send it in code"

"True, but I'll know what you mean and will let your country know that you're still alive and fighting"

"Very well sir"

Nine months after that Allison was back in America because it was time to bring the group down once and for all, she went directly to the White house

"Hey sir, where's John and Dan?"

"John's on his way now while Dan had a last minute case and I can't always affect the court system so he's getting a last minute flight once his case ends"

"How's Tonto?"

"He has cabin fever, he's reading the journals but they're not helping much"

"What's wrong with him?"

"He was feverish and had a badly sprained ankle, he's still weak but still I don't get why the journals aren't helping"

"Because of the fact that not only have we read them so much that we've memorized them but we also try not to read them too much since it makes us miss Arizona too much, as it is that's when we read the journals the most to help us when we miss him"


	9. Chapter 9

"I see"

"By the way what about his weapons?"

"Here"

"Good, has he done maintenance on them recently?"

"No, he's refusing to do so"

"He has his reasons, I'll do the weapons for him"

And so Allison is taken to his room where she does the maintenance that Tonto refused to do, because he never worked on his weapons when shaky and weak to prevent accidents. Several hours later John and Dan were finally at the White house and Allison met the two outside the room

"Hey you two before you go in there's something I need to tell you, two things the first is that everything we went through was needed, the second is that things aren't completely finished, Mr. President keep quiet with whatever you hear because it's not quite what you think"

As soon as John and Dan went in they almost fainted in shock and John said only one word quietly

"Tonto"

"Me Tonto, me not hurt, not dead, Мне было больно плохо, но с тех пор я зажила и готова к действию, it's time to come home and finish the work I've been doing alone until we brought in Allison"

"It's so good to see you again"

An hour later they were fully caught up, including how Allison had actually been forced to communicate that she was still alive to the President through the leader of Luxembourg three different times and how grateful she was that the option had been available. The President was also informed that over the fifteen years that they had been awake Allison had taught the three to be fluent in Russian and how for Tonto it was best that his code was in a mixture of the old way he used to talk and Russian since very few Native Americans talked that ways anymore, the others had various other codes as well but in any situation they could always revert to Russian if they were sure that no one else knew what they were talking about. A few days later in the press conference the President revealed that Tonto was alive and also explained why he had lied, that Tonto  _was_  nearly dead at the time and that criminals would have taken advantage of his survival

"What now?"

"Now Randolph and I are going to do military training together"

A week and three days later Tonto and Allison both scared those they were training with with their knife fighting skills, Tonto killed his first opponent five different times in as many minutes

"Okay, you're scary when you have a knife Randolph"

"If it was Randolph and I it would be even closer, we're about even with the bow and arrow, while Randolph is a bit better with the knife, he would have about five or so less wounds than I"

"Prove it"

"No"

"Well I want proof of your knife skills right now"

Allison's opponent was just as bad as Tonto's and then they were forced to fight each other

"NO, we can't fight each other unless necessary"

"Like EDC opponents?"

Allison realized that they knew about how EDC opponents could occasionally take control of a persons mind and they wanted proof that they could handle each other, plus they needed to see why medics were needed if they ever were to fight each other

"One hour after dinner"

During dinner two people commented on how Allison definitely was against the fight, but one person who could read body language due to a deaf brother and father could also tell that Tonto wasn't happy either

"Allison is the most obvious but Randolph isn't too happy either"

"Yeah, he's snappy and looks angry"

"Observe him closely and see if there's anything else you can see"

"What?"

"Trust me just try it"

Five minutes later the second person said that they hadn't noticed anything else

"His body language is telling me a lot, the way he's sitting indicates that he doesn't want to talk to anyone, then there's the fact that he's looking at those who are forcing the fight longer than the rest and he's  _glaring_  at them, his hands are subtle as well, you've probably noticed his jerking movements in the way he eats but that's only part of it, plus his feet as well"

"How can you tell all that?"

"I've had to read body language my whole life due to my older brother and father being deaf"

An hour after dinner Tonto and Allison fought for fifteen minutes and they hit each other fatally during the fight at all times, Tonto had only five less wounds than Allison, and Allison had mentioned earlier that there were restrictions being placed on her as well

"That's...why...I...restricted...myself"

"I know...your emotions...too unstable"

Two weeks after the fight Tonto and Allison were finished re-qualifying for the military, Tonto had also re-qualified for being a combat medic in that time as well and once back in Texas he easily also re-qualified for being a paramedic and was even back at his old job too. Three weeks later and Allison was asked about her training that would be coming up by someone who also had information about one of her cases

"Kerenai, you are with Randolph's unit, how do you think they'll react at the first training you guys do together in over a year?"

"Well there's going to be questions and explanations like the President said, but they also understand that orders are orders so it shouldn't be too bad at least"

"By the way, the bank robbery suspect is innocent"

"Oh?"

"Yep, twin brother actually did it, when the twin found out that his brother was accused of killing the people in the robbery they turned themselves in, the two were always close and protective of each other in that while they would let each other make their mistakes to learn from they also made sure that the right twin was properly being punished"

"That should work in their favor then"

"Most likely, but it will still be a harsh sentence"

"Yes it will be"

"Well I still have some paperwork and then it's time to leave for the day"

"Right, oh and John's coming down soon"

"What for this time? I know he came up here during my assignment by the President but I thought he would stay in Austin now that I was back"

"Don't know to be honest"

"Well he'll tell us when he gets here"

"Yes, that's something that's long since been established for every Ranger station"

"Ever since the incident five years ago"

"We lost a Texas Ranger that day and nearly lost three others"

"Which is why the protocol was established in the first place"

The next day John entered the office and immediately went into Russian

*Allison, your family needs you immediately for something, as for why I'm here it's because of a possible fugitive, however the name is Peter Corzelta, and you know who that is*

*An undercover FBI agent, it's shoot to kill depending on the situation isn't it?*

*Yes, I'll tell everyone what's going on after I talk to your captain*

*Understood John, be careful okay?*

*Will do*

Five minutes later everything had been explained to the Captain and fifteen minutes after that everything had been explained to the rest of the Rangers, but the fifteen minutes included a phone call and reading from a journal which explained the situation to the rest who weren't getting it initially

_Day 2095_

It's been fifteen days since I discovered that there's an undercover government agent in the area, I'm going to do what you guys would have done which is try and help out the best I can. If you were here you would be making plans that might contradict what the government agent has in mind but you would work around any complications, just like you always would, well here's to hoping things go well

Allison closes the journal and then explains it's the exact same situation in modern times, the group could tell two things during the reading, one was that who the person was and who they were talking about was carefully vague and the second was that Allison had only read the pertinent parts

"So about your family situation..."

"Phone tree, and the situation is urgent but can be delayed considering the current situation"

"So just so that we're clear, we're supposed to pretend that we're trying to kill Peter Corzelta but we're not actually trying to kill him. However if he  _is_  killed by one of us it's in the line of duty"

"Exactly and depending on what his assignment is his family will be told as much of the truth as possible however if needed to protect the government the family will be lied to about his death and that's something that the government will have to deal with for a long, long time"

"By the way, how big was the phone tree?"

"Eleven people directly, and as for Rumble being away from Soundwave for some reason they're not talking about it, at least to me, they might talk to you Allison all things considered"

"Peter first my family and their situation second John"

"Right"

"So, what are we going to do about Peter?"

"Our jobs, we do our best to keep him alive, but if it comes down to it we'll give him a police funeral which would be his due"

"Would...would the FBI allow his burial to be here?"

"It depends on his final will and testament but at the very least they'd allow Texas Rangers to attend, seeing as how the mission will end in this state"

"Seen it before with the EDC?"

"Yes indeed I have seen it before with the EDC"

"So...don't mean to be a downer, but just how are we going to go about dealing with the situation the undercover FBI agent is in?"

"That's the complication, his mission is so secret that I think John found out by accident"

"Not entirely, it's more a matter that they contacted me for a reason and the mission was told to me because of that reason, he doesn't know the danger he's in now and there's the fact that he doesn't know that he's about to get help, add in the complication that we need to shoot to kill still, or at least pretend that's what we're doing and this can get pretty messy"

"John that contact...does it involve twin revolvers and a government letter?"

"Yes it does, tell you more about that aspect in private, but in either case we need to get Peter out as safely as possible first"

"Orders?"

"No, it's more of a request from the government just a pretty urgent one"

"John..." (switches to Russian) *are you telling the truth about request or is it an order sounding like a request?, and  _don't_  lie to me after fifteen years of knowing each other*

*Twenty years*

*Don't change the topic John and everyone only knows the fifteen years*

*Fine, but the request actually involves them wanting me to be the Lone Ranger again, but it's a two part request, the first part is saving Peter, the second part is handling the group as the Lone Ranger while the agent recovers, hopefully finishing the assignment*

*Think he's hurt then?*

*If not now than when we get close to rescuing him, and that's if we get him out alive*

Suddenly they hear a throat clearing and see Allison's Captain looking pointedly at them for speaking in Russian thus keeping the conversation private


	10. Chapter 10

"Sorry sir, unfortunately I needed to figure out if he's doing something that would be a first, Russian was the best way to do so"

"You sounded pretty harsh at one point"

"True, however I know for a fact that things are status quo between us"

"And you could tell that through a foreign language?"

"Yes, and you know I have my reasons behind that ability"

"True, now then back to our current dilemma"

"Right"

Five months later and they were no closer to resolving the situation with Peter, however it was now declared that he was to be arrested alive, primarily due to five Texas Rangers, fifteen Dallas police officers, six ATF agents and twenty-five FBI agents seeing him getting thinner and thinner, and Allison thought she'd seen bruises which possibly meant he was busted and being starved to death and also beaten on occasion

"So...we still have yet to get him out of the situation"

"We're trying, but he's never out except at crimes scenes with the others and about which means we can't arrest him to save him"

"Anyone see John lately?"

"I know what he's doing and that's private unfortunately"

"Question has anyone else seen a person wearing a mask and shooting two guns, and they left something behind which is confusing me a whole lot"

"Oh?"

"Yup, here"

"A bullet...um what's this bullet made of?"

"Silver, it's a silver bullet"

"Does this mean they're a friend or foe?"

"No idea"

"I know what it means, but unless I get special permission from a few people I can't explain what it means, other than that you might want to keep that bullet for later"

"Fine, do you know if John's alive at least?"

"Yes he is indeed alive, and well sort of safe"

"Sort of safe?"

"You know full well police work isn't safe"

"You win that argument"

"By the way, what is Randolph doing here?"

"The reserves, they are demanding both of us do some sort of training together for the next few months with the SWAT units, away from our actual military unit for their own reasons, that training starts next week by the way"

"And since it's harder for you to get away from Dallas he was transferred from Austin to here temporarily"

"Exactly"

"So, anyone have a plan for Peter?"

Suddenly the door is opened and everyone but Allison is on high alert due to a person in a mask suddenly barging in and speaking up

"I have a plan, Allison, Peter needs rescued  _now_ , the FBI agent is in serious danger of dying, and the government just told me that I need to move faster"

"Don't tell me let me guess, they got word about something from someone and while your speed isn't too bad there are indicators that you need to move faster or you won't get the entire group"

"Not just that, there are possible international implications as well"

"Okay, two questions, one are you going as you are?, and two can I reveal?"

"Yes to both"

"Fine John, make sure that your regular police equipment is also ready, because you are  _not_  going after the terrorists without modern weapons, I don't care if you did that as the Lone Ranger before, this time it ain't happening, because hearing more from my family our problems are related, there are EDC enemies involved and thus too dangerous for your silver bullets alone"

"Speaking of, while I haven't followed everything here's your bullet back"

"Okay, two important things, first off this is John, the second thing is that more explanations are coming later"

"Understood"

"Okay then, John you have a location so that we can rescue Peter?"

"Fortunately just got it before I came here, and he doesn't look good everyone"

"Yeah, several of us have noticed his becoming thinner every time"

"It's worse than that unfortunately, but you have to see to believe I'm afraid"

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like what I'm going to see?"

"Because you won't"

"Figures, by the way when we get the agent rescued I'm going to be helping...ah! I know you work solo normally now that Randolph is a paramedic and Dan is in Maine as a lawyer but this is Presidential orders"

"Wait I thought you and Randolph were supposed to do training together"

"We are, the help is mainly through contacts and research"

"Oh, okay"

"You know, I get the feeling that the explanation you're going to tell us Kerenai is going to be interesting"

"It is, for now though, arm up and mount up, we've got a raid"

"Need warrants first"

"Made, signed and printed out, we have Federal warrants that last seventeen months per warrant signed date, don't ask how that works due to the fact that that's classified"

"Fine, you have those warrants on you?"

"Right here"

Allison holds up the warrants that they needed and fifteen minutes later were at the location that John led them to

"Wait here guys, I'm going to go up first to get a quick look around, John may not know everything and then there's the fact that anything could have changed during the time it took for him to get to headquarters and then lead us here"

"She's right, and she's the quietest of you guys"

"Oh?"

"He's long since been able to sneak around which is how he found the location and the agent in the first place, more on that later, by the way while you're going to get a full history and some of that does indeed involve the journals we're still not telling you everything about the person who wrote the journals or why they wrote them in the first place since the background will tell you enough anyways"

"Okay that makes him quiet, what about you?"

"Family, you learn fast to be quiet when walking and sneaking around when you're raised by robots almost all your life"

"They teach you those skills?"

"Yep, life saving too since those skills come in handy at any time"

"Like now?"

"Yes like now, wait for my signal, John will know it instantly seeing as how one signal will mean that it's safe another signal will mean that we can't move right now, and since these are prearranged signals it's better this ways"

"Why use prearranged signals?"

"Later, much much later guys, for now just do what I say"

"Very well"

Five minutes later and a signal wasn't needed, primarily due to the fact that Allison had come back in person instead of sending a signal like the original plan was

"Too dangerous, almost got caught sneaking about, we're going to have to wait a while, might need to do a night raid instead of day time, so let's get back and make plans for tonight, we have the location anyways so that's one less worry"

"Fine, but is this why you kept us at this distance?"

"Yes, if you guys had seen me captured or even killed you would have still been able to escape without discovery since the vehicles wouldn't be heard from the distance we have them at"

"Okay, that makes much more sense now that we know it's for our own safety"

"Yeah, now then come on, I managed to get away but I don't know how long we'll be safe here since they might send out search parties"

They start leaving and Allison in the car is asked a question

"What exactly did you do that would have required search parties?"

"I might have made noise accidentally, and I nearly had to knock someone out too"

"How sure about that are you?"

"Sure enough John, you  _know_  the training I get regularly with my family and you know what that training entails due to you insisting on joining in once three years ago"

(Sighs) "OK yeah you win the argument"

"Thought I would"

"Well since we can't do anything more until tonight might as well catch up on paperwork"

"Nope, no one but John and I are night vision trained, and while it's pretty easy to get a handle on using the equipment it does take time to adjust to this particular set"

"Oh...the new NightProwler 6000?"

"Exactly John, I'm surprised you've heard of it though since it's still primarily used in military operations"

"Your family insisted I get trained on it when it first came out, thus I know it's not too different from the NightSun 2000"

"Okay that's good to know, but still everyone else needs the training"

"True enough, especially if they're not used to night vision equipment in the first place"

"Why's that?"

"The vision is a bit...weird at first until you adapt"

Allison then noticed one person staying away from everyone and noticed that it was a rookie police officer seeing as how it had been decided that the Dallas PD would also be involved once they got back to the station

"Hey what's wrong?"

"It's just...am I really good enough?"

"Okay, you and me need to have a little talk, I can tell something from your past is affecting you"

They go to a corner where there was mild privacy

"Okay what's wrong?"

"It's just...I barely made it through the academy and my probation period, everything was so hard, and you guys are the elite of the elite in Texas, and some of you are not quite famous but well known Texas Rangers"

"Why do you think you never did so well, that everything was hard?"

"Because academics has always been hard for me, and I was always behind the rest of the class, plus I was constantly making mistakes as well"

"Okay, you and me are going to go over training videos that involve you and I'm going to do an evaluation myself"

"But...the raid..."

"I already know the equipment, there's plenty of time for you to learn, there are those besides me and John here qualified to train on the new equipment and finally your confidence is more important than you knowing how to use night vision, if absolutely necessary we'll keep you in the van doing something else"

Through a three hour viewing of training videos and in person evaluation Allison discovered that yes the officer did have several weaknesses, but she also discovered part of the reason  _why_  they were struggling so much both in the academy and during the final evaluation part she also discovered a very hidden gem of an ability of his that had been honed in part because of his troubles

"I have a question, have you ever been tested for a learning disability called dyslexia, and also had your vision truly tested lately?"

"No to both answers, why?"

"Because I think your vision is deteriorating so slightly you're not even truly noticing it which is part of the problem, the other part is that I think you're dyslexic and never diagnosed as such"

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"For tonight I'm keeping you in the van like I told you I would, however that's because you're going to be our ace comms person since you have an ear for voices and sound differentiation, then tomorrow you're coming with me to my annual eye doctors appointment, the office does accept walk-ins, and get your eyes checked out, you probably need glasses and haven't realized it yet, you're also going to officially be tested for dyslexia by an EDC officer authorized to test such learning disabilities in both kids and adults"

"And if I do have dyslexia?"

"Then we're having lessons to help you catch up on what you're still missing and struggling with plus teaching you coping strategies that should help you with your disability"

That night the raid was very complicated but completed partially successful, they got the agent out alive, but they had no clues as to how big the group still was, and there was a serious danger of the agent dying anyways in the hospital or even in transport


	11. Chapter 11

"Okay, now what?"

"John, you get back to Austin"

"But..."

" _No John_ , I know that Randolph is here and you want to see him, I wish that was possible too but the raid made things way too dangerous for you to be here right now. You're known to be based in Austin, and it was made pretty obvious that you were after Peter Corzelta, even if you've been in Austin while he's been all over Texas though primarily in Dallas, if the criminals were to find out about Peter and the fact that you were here tonight..."

"And it's even more dangerous since my Lone Ranger persona could potentially be linked to me unlike before"

"Exactly, you were legally dead last time you became the Lone Ranger back in the past, but this time..."

"Understood, call me with his status?"

"But of course"

"Wait, you guys promised us a story"

"I'll tell the story John needs to get back to Austin to keep himself safe and the mission continuing he's on a government assignment and that  _can't_ be dismissed except by the President"

"She's right, she can tell it and has my permission if it makes you guys feel any better"

"However that's going to wait until the officer I worked with and I take care of a few personal problems, if he wants to tell you guys he can but that will be his decision"

"Well...I'm not telling you guys everything, but she's taking me with her to her annual eye appointment, she suspects my vision is deteriorating without my notice"

"There's something else possibly wrong isn't there?"

"Yes but it's private"

"Very well, we all need rest now though, oh and by the way thanks for the comm link"

"No problem, like Kerenai said I am golden on a comms system being able to distinguish voices and sound differentiation, which kept you guys alive a few times too"

"True enough"

"I think I get why you're telling us about your vision, you're already prone to eye infections which means we'd be noticing glasses anyways"

"Exactly"

"That could be part of your vision problems if you're prone to eye infections"

"Now that I think about it my previous eye doctor said that my vision could be affected in later life because of my frequent eye infections"

"Guesstimating probably, it's not an exact science on how eyes are affected by frequent infections because of just how variable any infection could be, eye infections are the worst to predict"

"Wait, how come you haven't seen an eye doctor recently if you're prone to eye infections?"

"Um...that's complicated"

"Well in either case they're coming with me tomorrow to get that problem fixed"

The next day Allison took the officer with her to the eye appointment and the officer did indeed need glasses for vision issues, the doctor also mentioned that they had wanted to do more tests to figure out just  _why_  they were so prone to eye infections since it wasn't normal and the officer agreed, once that was done Allison took the officer for testing for dyslexia, and after several hours of testing he was told that he was indeed dyslexic, and given a few tips but mentioned that Allison knew more than they did since while they were qualified for the testing Allison was the one who had made friends with people who had learning disabilities and through them had learned a whole lot of coping measures

"Okay, well I have a request, could you be the one to tell my boss about this, I...I'm not comfortable with telling him myself"

"Understood and I have no problems doing so"

"Thanks, normally I wouldn't have a problem with telling my boss that I have problems, but this time it's personal, too personal to me"

"It's okay, not everyone can admit to a learning disability when they get older and find out for the first time, plus there are others who may not be able to because of past family experiences"

"It's a combination of both this time"

"Well for now you both have work to get to, Kerenai stayed until we had the results and I talked to you"

"Oh, okay"

"She did  _not_  want you to deal with taxi fares, which is part of why she insisted on taking you to both appointments in her vehicle"

"Well best let her know I'm ready so that we can get to work"

"Right"

They get to work and both are busy, the officer with the aftermath of both a car crash and a robbery of a convenience store while Allison came into work and was immediately sent to a bank robbery with hostages and then there was the fact that quite frankly there was possible EDC involvement as well which complicated matters quite a bit depending on several factors

"Okay...we're in the negotiations phase still correct?"

"Yes we are"

"Let me try and figure something out real quick and go from there"

Suddenly Allison said something that made no sense whatsoever to most of the people but they did know that there was a reply of some sort which made Allison frown heavily and also sigh and mutter something under her breath


	12. Chapter 12

"Right, you guys do what you can to keep things from escalating any further than they already have I need to go to the EDC base and explain something in person, however for now do understand that I have kept one section from escalating but you will have to take care of the rest"

"Understood, how long?"

"Depends, but hopefully no longer than an hour, hour and a half, but the peace with the one section is very tenuous, if your guys go off they'll go off again"

"Understood, and I'm guessing it's safe to assume that you won't get them back under control as easily as you did this time?"

"Very safe, I'm gone, do your best and tell SWAT to stand down"

"Got it"

Fortunately Allison managed to resolve the EDC involvement within an hour the rest of the problem was resolved six hours later relatively peacefully, two of the bank robbers were injured when they tried to shoot it out in the end but they would live to stand trial and serve their sentence, as for the EDC part of the involvement which was solved earlier it was agreed that they would be sent back to their homes and dealt with according to their planets rules and customs, to a certain degree, the one that executed people for almost any offense did not have a say on the punishment and that citizen was ultimately going to serve out their sentence on both Earth and Cybertron, for Earth it would be in an EDC facility as that was the only place secure enough. Everyone else was punished accordingly, either through temporary banishment, time in jail, branding, or a combination of punishments

"So, what about the training you and Randolph are supposed to be doing?"

"We're still doing it, it's just complicated to actually get the training in, but we'll manage, in the meantime I'll explain John's background tomorrow just like I promised"

"Good"

And so the next day Allison told John's full story and even made sure that the journals were with her and explained more about Arizona Lawson and why he would have written to her explaining that the journals were copies primarily for John and a friend of John's but that Arizona made sure that copies had been given to her and one other person due to the connection to John

"So he was a Texas Ranger in the past, almost died from ambush involving him and his friends, and became the Lone Ranger since he was the sole survivor of said ambush, and then you were somehow sent to the past and got to know him, when an EDC enemy almost killed the Lone Ranger and two others you and the officers with you used technology to save their life and that technology brought them to the present about fifteen years ago and you, John and the other two have been good friends ever since also allowing John to have a name once more"

"Exactly"

"And that's just a watered down explanation too"

"Yup, now then here's something that will explain just why Arizona was such a good friend, I have made sure electronic copies have been made but I want to read off of physical copies"

_Day 2000_

It's been 2000 days since that day and I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever be as good as you two, things have deteriorated since then and I don't see an ending, the government is also using people like me more often due to what I have mentioned a while back, well I hope things settle down soon but for now I have work to do since I decided to follow in your footsteps, I still wish things hadn't happened as they had but at least I know you guys went down fighting, and by the way, all but the kid are in  _big_  trouble with me even if I can't ever do anything about it. You told me you told the President about history and you admittedly did, you never said anything about leaving something behind for me if I ever needed it, I found out through Secret Service, next time don't surprise me like that especially since learning how to use the surprise is being a bit problematic, well I'm done for the day seeing as how I have to move fast for reasons better kept silent for now

When Allison finishes reading the journal she saw that there was a better understanding of just why she was so attached to the journals and why John was so important in the past

"Okay, so I was wondering how you got the journals if he was down south"

"He left them with the sitting President of the time and they've been passed down since then finally reaching us once John and the other two were more settled"

"Why didn't you get them when you came back from the past?"

"That I'm not saying"

"Fine"

"Well, for now we all have work to do still, and Allison could you ask the other two if you have permission to reveal them to us?"

"Well I..."

"For me it's not needed Allison I can do that myself well enough"

Allison turns and sees Dan at the door

"Dan, what are you doing here?"

"Two reasons, reason one is to visit my uncle while I still can since he's going to be on the move a lot now while the other reason is because of a conference, now then because I was young for most of it I wasn't as involved as uncle John and his friend was but I helped as best I could, he raised me after my grandma, the one who raised me even if we had no real blood relations, died seeing as how my mom and dad were both killed when I was a baby, as for our friend that's up to him if he wants to reveal himself. I think Arizona gave me a copy since I'm related to the Lone Ranger and a good friend of the one person who was always by his side from the beginning, the one who helped him heal from the wounds caused by the ambush that killed my father and the others"

"Okay, that explains why you're in Texas, doesn't explain why you're in this office"

"Thought he would still be here all things considered"

"Told him to go back to Austin since there was nothing he could do for the federal agent"

"Gotcha, well I still have a conference that's in Dallas so I guess the best I can do is call him"

"Depends on when the conference is Dan"

"It's in two hours"

"Okay yeah you only are able to call him all things considered"

"By the way so do you Kerenai"

"I've been waiting word for the hospital since he was admitted into the hospital, I thought they had clear instructions to call me after they knew one way or the other Lt."

Suddenly they hear the Captain's voice

"That's because of the fact that not only were they not sure for twenty-four hours but you were also unavailable when they did call. The agent will make it through barring any complications however as of now once he's out of the hospital it's highly likely he'll be medically retired from the FBI or at least kept from field work from now on"

"And that's the risk we all take as officers of the law"

"I'll come back after the conference Kerenai, need to talk to you about something not involving Randolph or uncle John seeing as how they're in Austin and what I need to discuss is in Dallas"

"Personal or public?"

"Um...for now personal but might become public depending on several factors"

"Da...n..."

"Can't tell you more due to the fact that it's classified"

"Does the classified bit involve government?"

"No, it's just classified within my job but you know how I take things like that"

"I do indeed understand why you're not saying anything than"

"Well I need to get going then"

"Right, I have a phone call to make"

Fifteen minutes later and Allison was finally done with the phone call

"Okay talking to John shouldn't have taken so long"

"Yeah...it's complicated, now then I'm going to the range and shooting my bow and arrows, I really need to do so to relieve stress right now"

"Thought you did your forms or shot your guns for that"

"Normally yes however I miss my bow and arrows and besides you know how Randolph is doing training with me?"

"Yeah what of it?"

"Part of that training involves testing new bows and I want to make sure I'm up to par to test said bows"

"How do you suddenly know what the training is supposed to be?"

"Because after the agent was rescued I was given a call and everything was explained, the reason we're training with SWAT is because it allows Randolph to get in paramedic training with a different unit and we're also testing to see if having a bow and arrow set would be a good idea for SWAT in the first place and as the only two known bow and arrow users in the military that use it for purposes other than hunting game we were the ones selected for the training and decision making"

"That actually makes sense then"

"Well for now I want to get in some practice"

"Question, how long has it been since you've actually properly used a bow and arrow, either for practice or actual use?"

"Two and a half months, almost used it during the raid but decided not to"

"That's a long time for you"

"Yes it indeed is, fortunately I have means that I don't lose the strength needed to use said bow and arrows"

"However you still really want to have some bow and arrow time right now don't you?"

"Yes I do"

"Okay I'll tell the Captain in the case that he looks for you"

"Okay, by the way paperwork is all filled out so that's not a concern"

An hour later and the entire group of Rangers on duty were thoroughly impressed with Allison's skills because while they knew in a way that she did use bow and arrows they didn't see that skill often since she was very judicial about when to use said skill on duty and since she went to a private range most of the time for target practice they didn't see her practicing her skills very often either

"Okay she's good"

Suddenly Allison turned to the side and shot an arrow at Randolph who had suddenly come into both her sensory and personal space, when she saw who it was she exploded in rightful anger

"Blast it Randolph I could have killed you! I know that you're aware of my sensory space and that my personal space is forceably larger than others due to family reasons"

"I know and I'm sorry unfortunately there was no other way to get your attention, orders have changed again, more on the way to the EDC base"

"Okay"

They head to the base and Allison finds out that the change was simply that SWAT was going to be working more closely with the EDC from now on after that hostage fiasco that she had been part of, as such they were evaluating the EDC for possible bow and arrow use as well

"Well at least it isn't too different from what we were already ordered to do"

"Right, oh and John told me he gave you clearance for the truth with your Ranger unit, I want them to know about me as well and...I want our current Reserve unit to know as well"

"You sure Tonto?"

"Yes, I...I've been talking with the President about using my true name legally once more, I'm fine with being Randolph Hunter but I miss my true name, have been for the past three years to be honest"

"Sorry Tonto, it really is better that you remain legally Randolph Hunter, not just because everyone has known you as that for so long but because most people wouldn't understand having just one name, no last name just isn't normal nowadays, however if you like we can tell the unit that you prefer being called Tonto in private since that's your true name"

"That's a good compromise"

"For now though you and I need to talk about your stupidity"

"I told you it was the only way to get your attention"

"Except you were clearly taught how to safely get my attention if ever in that situation"

"Guess I forgot"

"Then you're getting retraining and then next time we're in that scenario use the techniques you were taught for your own safety"

"Fine, I know how stubborn you'll be about that so I will agree to that"

"Good, you don't want my family involved trust me on that one"

"You have a point"

And so the training got started and it was soon obvious that SWAT and the EDC both would benefit from bows and arrows, the problem was that the type of bow that was needed was one that was not available to civilians or police departments, even the EDC getting military equipment was a bit tricky at times depending on several factors

"Okay, what do we do about this problem?"

"I have no clue, except talking to the President"

"Neither of us will be going to D.C. though"

"I can ask my Captain for time off Tonto, for this it will be allowed"

"That's right you have a slightly easier time to get leave from work than I do since my job is more stubborn about making sure they have advanced notice on anyone needing leave time"

"Part of that is your medical skills, part of that is the SWAT member who is also a Texas Ranger but the biggest part is that my job isn't as stubborn as yours is due to the fact that we're at higher risk of being needed in another part of the state and then there's the fact that quite frankly we have been needed in other states for testimony purposes"

"Well, three weeks in and they're doing good with the bow and arrows, aim isn't quite accurate enough for me but it is what it is, for now though you have work and I have...appointments"

"Your tone of voice makes me think you don't like the appointments you have"

"One is my annual physical so that I'm okay with the other appointment is one I have no clue what's going to happen since it's my boss that made the appointment"

"Okay, well for now I will let the boss know that training is suspended because we need Presidential intervention"

"Okay, and don't forget you now have permission to tell your unit about me in full"

"I will, see you after I get back from Washington"

"Right"

Allison goes to her Captain and explains that the training that they were doing was suspended due to the fact that they needed Presidential permission for the training to go further for reasons that she wasn't explaining

"Fine, you have immediate leave for the military assignment"

"Thanks sir, oh and when I get back from the training there's something I need to tell everyone about Randolph, something important and private"

Two days later and Allison was in the White House explaining things to the President about how the training for the EDC and SWAT couldn't continue due to the fact that the equipment that was needed was currently for military use only which basically meant it was only available to her and Tonto

"I'll get the two groups clearance immediately"

"Good, another thing sir, has Tonto told you about his wish to be called by his own name again?"

"Yes he has"

"Well I let him see reason but I think we might want to work out his real name into his new legal name somehow, but make it a surprise"

"Maybe make his real name his middle name and when people hear him being called by his real name the excuse could be that he prefers to be called by his middle name since it sounds more like his heritage as a Native American"

"That could work, but he's the one who has to fill out the forms and sign them"

"Not if it's me that's doing the name changing"

"What do you mean sir?"

"What do you know about how you have two different legal names?"

"Not much really, for the longest time I honestly thought that Allison of Cybertron was a nickname due to the fact that they've raised me since I was only two"

"About three years before you were born Congress agreed that the President could approve a name change or create a legal name for any American citizen depending on several circumstances, one of them being your circumstance where you had human birth parents but were now raised by the Cybertronians who legally adopted you, Tonto's situation is another situation where I can change his name without any paperwork on his part"

"Sir I wish to be the one to surprise him with being able to have his true name once more, his true name without explaining that it's a nickname, that it's legally his name once more"

"Once I have everything settled you can do that during one of your weekend training sessions"

"Actually sir we're about due for our two weeks of training so maybe delay it being known until then might be better"

"That's actually a good thought now that you mention it, ceremony or no ceremony?"

"Hm...let me think on that one for a bit"

"You have the time, now then I'm going to expedite the bow paperwork so that you can get the training finished and get back to your Reserve unit, they miss you and your commanding officer has actually sent me a letter begging me to reassign you to the unit, apparently the medic training with them isn't as good as Tonto is and another substitute is trying to be the all-rounder like you are and failing epically"

"Well as soon as you have that paperwork I'll let Tonto know that we can finish the training you assigned us to do, what I'm wondering is why you decided to allow the EDC to also have bows and arrows"

"Some of their enemies have means of making their normal weapons useless, I know that your family has weapons that will work no matter what but the EDC doesn't have such weaponry, or if they do it's few and far between"

"Right, that makes sense then"

"By the way why did Tonto never have a middle name?"

"It was partially his decision and partly my family's decision, it's complicated overall why he never had a middle name before now"

"Fine, the paperwork for SWAT and EDC to have the military bows will be in by the weekend, I'll let you know when the name change is done with"

"Okay then, I'll go back to Texas in the meantime I know you can get me the needed paperwork fast enough through official couriers if you felt the need"

"Okay, oh and you aren't going back to Texas yet"

"What for sir?"

"Two words for you, and I apologize in advance for butchering this, but Rodimus told me to tell you auk'laun koorvosantou"

"Okay that would do it than, very well I will stay two extra days"

"What's going on?"

"Sorry sir but that's private, family only things"

"Understood"

The next day Allison was at the EDC base for a very special ceremony, a Cybertronian who had been gone for a long, long time, actually thought dead, had been found alive and was coming home to the place he was going to be working at from now on seeing as how being on Earth was determined to be the best solution for him because while Cybertron was his home he needed to be with humans to keep him grounded in the fact that the war was long over, that they had an adult human charge who had missed him since he had gone missing when Allison was only nine years old, and while that was just a tiny drop of time in Cybertronian terms for Allison and many others it was a very long time indeed

"It's been a long time since I've seen Finback"

"I know, Phoenix was the one who was the primary search leader for his body, but others joined in when they could which helped most likely"

"What I'm wondering is why he needs grounded by being on Earth"

"His mind has been messed with and he temporarily reverts to war time thinking, it's always brief but we feel that seeing humans will remind him that things are different and have been for a long time"

As soon as Allison saw Finback she did the one thing most of the people on the base who weren't Cybertronian would never dare do, but it was the one thing that was needed to help him settle in faster and she knew it, she went up to him, hugged him and then in English welcomed him home, that actually helped him settle in faster, though they didn't know it at the time. Naturally he was shocked at just how big Allison had grown over the years he had been gone, and he could tell that something about her was different but he also knew he would be getting a very thorough debrief over the next week or two, but for the moment he was just enjoying being home since all Cybertronians thought of Earth as a second home, part of why he was shocked was he wasn't quite aware of how long he'd been gone as part of how his mind had been messed with

"How long are you here?"

"Until tomorrow night, I have a job to get back to, technically two jobs but my primary job needs me right now more than the other job due to...complications with the second job"

"I see, and as for me I have a long debrief for me to attend regarding you and several other things"

"I hope that being on Earth will help you eventually Finback"

"Same here Ally, same here"

"You picking up Jazz's habits?"

"No, just...just needed to call you by your nickname Allison, it's been way too long since I heard your name in any form and it just seemed right to use the nickname"

"I understand"

Allison went back to Texas the next night and soon had the paperwork that allowed SWAT and the EDC to get their hands on the military bows. Once that was done Tonto came back and they quickly finished their mission. Once that was done the two did a solid month of training with their unit knowing that they would go back to one weekend a month two weeks a year soon enough, but they needed to be together for emotional reasons more than anything else, and after that the Captain gave Allison orders for school work, though it would take a month to get everything together. A month later Allison was doing a series at school and noticed a bullied kid and so went over to them in private

"Have you ever talked to anyone about this?"

"I've tried but no one seems to listen"

"Well...I have a story about a friend who has since passed away from cancer, this was when we were both in the eleventh grade and not even friends yet"

_11_ _th_ _grade_

Allison was simply walking by when she saw a boy who she knew was new, however their circumstances were unknown and she had heard things that weren't very nice, but when she saw other kids beating up on them she knew what she had to do, she broke the running rule and ran to the nearest teacher. Once the fight broke up she actually escorted him to the nurses office and on the way they talked

"So...you're new here aren't you?"

"Yeah"

"I've heard some things that aren't very nice about you"

"But they're not true, I didn't move because of divorce or being a foster kid, I moved because of my father's job I always move because of his job"

"What does your father do?"

"He's an Air Force soldier, he works on the planes"

"Oh cool...you know I can't tell you everything but my parents are with the EDC, and while I don't move around a lot I do know that can happen at times"  
They continued talking and two months later they were becoming good friends

_Present_

"He never got told the full truth about my family life, but he understood that as an EDC kid I wouldn't be able to say everything about my parents or their jobs and he was allowed to come over some times still, when he got cancer at twenty-one it was hard for me but he pulled through...that time, two years ago it came back even more aggressive and he passed away last year"

"At least he had someone with him"

"True, but maybe all you need to do is reach out for help, and I'm always here to talk, even if I don't answer texts or calls right away due to the fact that I have two different jobs and it's not always possible for me to answer immediately"

"Thanks, now then I have classes"

"And I have a series to finish, though that should be done soon enough"

The next two weeks allowed Allison to finish the series, and during that time Allison had also told her Ranger unit about the fact that Randolph's true name was Tonto, explaining the full story due to the fact that Dan had given permission for his story to be told. Once the full true story about the three had been told her Ranger unit finally understood the full meaning behind the journals, why they were so important to all four of them, what Arizona was avoiding saying just in case the journals had ever fallen into the wrong hands because Allison also revealed that Arizona was always careful not to mention any actual names just in case things had gone wrong before he got the journals into the sitting Presidents hands. They realized that if anyone of the time had figured out that Arizona was friends with the Lone Ranger and Tonto, and knew what had happened to the two Arizona's life would be in great danger and that just wasn't possible due to Arizona's vow to continue the work that the Lone Ranger and Tonto had started

"Hey Allison, could we have copies of the journals?"

"Sorry guys, but not right now, partly because they're meant just for us but also because quite frankly you need to understand our history a bit more before I at least feel comfortable with you reading the journals that Arizona left behind"

"But you've told us everything about your history and the history of the other three"

"It's more complicated than that unfortunately, you'll have to see the four of us together to understand what I mean"

"Fine, by the way I just received a message"

"What is it Captain?"

"Your two weeks is coming up soon, and it was promised that no more month long training would be done since you're a Reserve, the letter I got explained that the month long training was because your unit needed to be with the two of you after a long separation"

"Exactly"

"Oh and a courier came by as well, gave me this for you, said that you would understand what this was with just two words"

"Oh?"

"Full name"

"I do indeed know what's going on"

"At least one person does"

"Sorry Captain, but it's not something I can tell you yet, not until another person, actually another group is informed"

"Very well"

Suddenly Allison's phone rang and she answered as usual

"Kerenai here...yes sir...yes sir...I understand sir...understood sir...yes sir...see you there sir...bye"

She hangs up the phone and a fellow Ranger decided to sate his curiosity

"What was that about?"

"Sorry but that's private, you actually don't have clearance to know who was calling me, and that's saying something since all of you have a  _lot_  of clearance between being a police officer and working with me"

"I can guess though and my guess is that it's someone high up in the line of government seeing as how you're a Reserve soldier and a special one from what little I know and understand"

"You can guess all you want, but you're not getting an answer unless you gain the proper clearance"

"Fine I know better than to pry any further, just...when is the two weeks training anyways?"

"Next week, the Captain has known for...three weeks now?"

"Just about"

"How come the rest of us are only now just being told?"

"After the last time I went on my two weeks of training? I don't think so, from now on everyone who doesn't need advanced warning finds out only a week in advance depending on the situation, otherwise you'll find out on my last day of work before I report for training"

"Yet we have plenty of advanced notice for your weekend training"

"That's because it's just for the weekend, you don't go crazy when it's just two or three days depending on several factors"

"I...never thought about that before, I think...I think it's because we've never had a Ranger in a Reserve unit before, at least we've never had one, I know for a fact that all of us are new to you Kerenai...why didn't you get a promotion after the incident?"

"Simple, I requested not to advance to the rank of Captain, for reasons of my own, look I know that things are still being dealt with in regards to adjustment but we'll get there I promise"

"It's been almost a year!"

"Yeah and considering everything that's happened to us in that year you need to understand we need more time, you...you almost lost me a month into you joining the unit, I was extremely depressed and close to being suicidal, my family is the only reason you didn't lose me since they insisted on keeping a close eye on me for three months after the incident"

"You being in the Reserves doesn't seem to help matters either"

"Not entirely but you have to understand that I have my own reasons for being in the Reserves, now then the same routine that we have for my weekend training applies for my two weeks of training minus the fact that the routine lasts longer and there are also a few other key differences as well"

"Like what?"

"One difference is that there will be a daily report for the Captain and they can decide for themselves if they want to say what's in those reports. Another difference is that you're going to be working with a member of SWAT who is a reserve Texas Ranger, that tradition has been around since about a year before I myself became a Texas Ranger, they don't normally do work for just a weekend but if I'm going to be gone for a two weeks or longer if I am activated they themselves are activated as a Texas Ranger"

"Okay, so next week then"

"Yes, next week"

"I'm surprised you gave us a week's heads up in the first place"

"Considering what the Captain did I had no other choice"

"Sorry Kerenai, didn't think that you would want this to be kept private"

"Well too late now"

"Hey Kerenai, going out for food, what do you want?"

"Um...tacos and the only non alcoholic beer I ever drink"

"Brand?"

"Barq's if you can, Mug if you can't"

"Got it"

As they left suddenly Allison started laughing

"What is it?"

"You know how Randolph, Dan and John don't drink any alcohol ever?"

"Yes, in fact it's almost as if Randolph at least is afraid of what alcohol can do"

"Well, as you now know they're from the past, the first time they ever had soda was about a month after they woke up. Anyways the first time they had food at a restaurant I ordered root beer for everyone, and the three of them almost spoke out seeing as how while I'm not underage they don't do alcohol and thought that I was giving them alcohol despite me knowing better. I poured everyone a glass, making sure that they also had water knowing that they would be afraid of the root beer and initially none of them drank it, but finally I got Randolph to drink a little bit by telling him that times had changed and while there was alcohol still around what I was drinking wasn't alcoholic despite the deceiving name, and so while still hesitant he decided to trust me"

_Fifteen years ago_

"Randolph, everything will be okay, this isn't firewater, despite the name it's completely safe for you to have"

"But..."

"Randolph, it's okay I promise you'll be fine, just try a few sips to start and go from there, I promise not to force anything more than a taste, but I  _am_  asking you to taste it"

Tonto takes a couple of sips and his eyebrows actually went up in surprise

"This...this tastes sweet, like the sugar water you gave us three days after we woke up when we suddenly all collapsed from lack of food"

"Exactly, it's called root beer for whatever reason but it's actually soda"

The other two also take a taste and soon enough they were all going for a second glass, but found that they couldn't handle more than that despite their efforts for a third glass

"Yeah, it can get a bit too sweet, or something of the sort, too much soda is bad for you and could potentially upset your stomachs depending on several factors because coca-cola, which I just call coke helps settle an upset stomach but too much has the same effect as other sodas so be careful about how much you drink at once"

"I guess this is one beer that we will be having"

"Yes, but always call it root beer, or sometimes it's called birch beer, always look at what they call their soda and you'll know what to call it, but it's always non-alcoholic"

"Understood"

_Present_

"After that day they didn't have any problems with me ordering root beer due to them understanding that it wasn't an alcoholic drink"

"So, you and Randolph have lot's of root beer?"

"No, it's only a moderate amount, generally speaking we have root beer once a day, depending on what's going on that day otherwise it's more like once a week, at least that's what it averages out to"

The next week was spent getting ready for Allison's departure. Finally the day came for Allison to report to her unit and Allison had a very special ride, both the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense would be at the small ceremony Allison had decided on since while Allison had thought about giving Tonto his true name in private, just the unit, for this she knew it was better to have a ceremony, small as she insisted on knowing that Tonto wasn't big on being in the spotlight

"What about John and Dan?"

"They'll both be there, I am so very much glad that the task you had him on and that I helped with finished while I was doing the school series"

"Same here, that assignment wasn't the greatest"

"Yeah, he wasn't happy that the agent was medically retired but he also understood their reasons"

"Yeah, no one knows that Tonto's getting his true name back, even if it's through it now being his middle name, but it's the only way and the best option to be honest"

"And you felt it best that Dan and John were both there to see him regain his name"

"Exactly, they were there the day he lost his name they should be there the day he regains his name"

"They've been through a lot through these past fifteen years"

"Yes, and this is something that's needed to be honest"

"True, they really do need this little piece of normalcy"

"Though it's been a long time coming"

"And you know full well why that had to be Mr. Secretary"

"True enough, and Tonto has no idea what's going to happen?"

"One of the advantages of him being in Austin while I'm in Dallas, even when we meet up on a semi-regular basis"

"But either way he needs his name back"

"Yes, he wants his name back more than needs it, but he was going to request a legal name change and we came up with this compromise since originally his true name was going to be a nickname, but this ways we can just simply say that he prefers being called by his middle name and no one will think anything of it since that does happen occasionally"

"He was talking to me about it, but we weren't getting very far until you came up with the solution"

"Well for now he doesn't have his name back but today...today he finally regains his name legally, something that we ourselves probably should have thought of way back when but didn't"

"Well for now we have to get to the base first"

"Right, four hours left"

Four hours later and they were at the base that Allison needed to be at for training, she saw the rest of her unit waiting, including Tonto. She disembarked and saw several other soldiers also there, she also could tell that her unit was confused about what was going on, she also knew that the President and the Secretary of Defense were recognized by several members of her unit including Tonto. As soon as the two were on firm ground everyone there saluted, and at the nod from the President Allison went to the front and started the ceremony

"Randolph Hunter front and center!"

Tonto goes in front of her as called and she could tell that only military discipline was keeping him under emotional control in that he wasn't revealing his own confusion

"Attention to orders, as of July 20th 20XX Randolph Hunter is now legally Randolph Tonto Hunter per Presidential permission for a name change"

She then hands Tonto the paperwork that proves that he had his true name once again, legally

"I...I never thought..."

"I know, now you can be called Tonto in public and no one will question it, and if they do you can say that you prefer to be called by your middle name and since it is legally your middle name anyone who decides to look that up will know that it's truly your middle name"

Tonto then goes against military decorum and hugs Allison and only military discipline prevents him from doing the same to the President, but John and Dan both hug Tonto and Allison could tell that they were relieved that they could call their old friend by his true name in public and never be questioned about it since there was legal paperwork backing them up on calling Randolph Tonto


	13. Chapter 13

"We'll see you to properly celebrate after your two weeks of training is over Tonto"

"Allison, were you the one behind this?"

"Yes Dan, through talking about it with the President I helped arrange everything, but he was the one who had to do the paperwork to make it all legal"

"Wait, how did he do that without me signing a thing?"

"It's complicated Tonto, but it's all legal in how he gave you back your name"

"Now to explain everything to the rest of the unit"

"True, but once it's explained they'll most likely easily transition to calling you Tonto"

"True enough"

"Now I'll let the President know he can dismiss everyone"

"And then  _you_  can explain what the small ceremony was for"

"But of course Tonto, but of course"

After the rest of the soldiers were dismissed and the unit told the story behind Tonto's name Allison had her turn in explaining the reason behind the ceremony

"Normally I would have done this privately, just the unit in attendance but this time I really felt it best to have a small ceremony, not only so that your hidden sacrifice was honored but as a means of spreading the news faster about your middle name, and possibly the fact that you prefer to be called by your middle name. As for the President and the Secretary they decided that if I wanted a small ceremony they would be in attendance to make it more official, besides even you have to admit the President had the right to be there when you regained your name seeing as how he had a huge part in that happening"

"You win on that argument"

"For now though we've got training, and for whatever reason this is just the rendezvous point we still have a ways to travel"

"I have a suspicion considering our month long training but I'm not saying anything until we get to our location because that will confirm said suspicions"

Seventeen hours later and her suspicions were found to be correct because they were in Australia for both cross-training and desert survival training

"Figured as much"

"Desert survival huh?"

"Yes, desert survival, and also some cross-training being done too seeing as how it's being a while since we've worked with the Australian military"

"Well at least this ways we can get used to calling Randolph by his preferred name"

"His true name, you have  _no idea_  how hard it was not to call Tonto by his real name in public, because I always called him Tonto in private but Randolph in public due to the fact that was the name given to him by my family because of the circumstances you were told about, but I did it for every ones safety"

"Wait, so Randolph is a fake name and Tonto is his real name?"

"No both are his real name, it's just that until it became his middle name we couldn't call Tonto by his original name since he was forced to take on a new name for this time period"

"Very well, we understand in a way, but for now this time period is a good chance for us to adapt to Randolph...Tonto's true name and another chance to reconnect with one another, the month long training helped but...it's not entirely good in how we are"

"I know, the month long training did indeed help with the disconnect we were dealing with but there's still a bit of distance that wasn't there before our special assignment that lasted a really, really long time"

"Orders are orders but...what were you guys even doing or is that still a secret?"

"Still a secret I'm afraid, but not for much longer I don't think"

"Will we know when it's no longer a secret?"

"Should, but depending on when the secret is revealed might not know immediately because we don't really get American news outside of the country"

"True enough, true enough"

Over the next two weeks the unit got used to calling Tonto by his true name, though they also knew that they would be hearing him being called by Randolph depending on several factors and also got used to how Australians did a few things, but primarily in how they survived in the desert, and whenever questioned the unit quickly got used to the excuse that Tonto preferred to be called by his middle name whenever people asked why they were calling Randolph Tonto. Finally the two weeks were up and the entire unit could tell that things were back to the way they were before Allison and Tonto's long, secret mission

"So looks like what you two were doing is still a secret"

"Looks like, but we'll know more once we're back in the States"

"Yeah guess we will, noticed that several Australian soldiers were curious about the journals you and Tonto had"

"Yeah, fortunately we could fend them off by declaring the journals private and except for a select group of people it's the truth too, only the Reserve unit and the Rangers that I work with know the truth about the journals"

"What about John's Ranger unit and Tonto's fellow paramedics?"

"They can't be told for security reasons, though admittedly we are thinking about letting John's unit in on everything since the Captain is already cleared for a lot regarding him"

"What I don't get is why Tonto's fellow paramedics don't have more clearance considering he has weapons at his job"

"That's a really complicated issue"

"Though part of it involves what our jobs are"

"Hey Tonto, didn't hear you"

"Yeah, he does that a lot, as do I and you guys know why we can do that"

"Okay you win that point but still you guys have been working on not sneaking up on your teammates, at least I thought you had"

"We have, but at the same time being quiet is in our nature and as such we sometimes forget to let our teammates hear us coming up whenever we're on base and not heading towards a patrol"

"Okay, guess some habits are hard to break"

"Yes, yes they are because quite frankly being quiet and sneaky has saved our lives plenty of times and as such comes naturally to us"

"Well in the meantime once we're back in the States we'll get to see if the secret project is no longer secret or not"

Seventeen hours later they were once back in the States and it turned out that what Tonto and Allison had been working on was indeed no longer a secret because both the EDC and Dallas SWAT had needed to use the bow and arrows the day before they got home

"Wait, was that your secret assignment?"

"Yes, to see if SWAT and the EDC were capable and should use bows and arrows in their works"

"So you trained and assessed them on that and decided that they could indeed use bows and arrows"

"Yes, though it's a bit surprising that it took almost two weeks to a month before they were used"

"For now though everyone has their everyday jobs to go to"

"Yes, I need to see how my unit came out with a temporary substitute seeing as how a SWAT member is also a Texas Ranger in reserve and this is the first time they've needed to work with the reserve Ranger"

"Except you don't go into work until tomorrow"

"I always check on the unit the day before I report back into work for long term training, have been for a long time now"

"Okay then that's what you'll do but for us we're going to go to bed, what about you Tonto?"

"Tell my civilian job about the name change and my preference to be known by my middle name"

"Your choice"

"They need to know my new legal name anyways since I highly doubt you or the President thought about that Allison"

"Oh we thought about that, I received word that the President wasn't believed"

"Great, and one would think they would listen to the leader of our country"

"Yeah...that's part of the problem I think, he didn't identify himself as the President and as such wasn't believed"

Allison then went to her job's office where her Captain saw her immediately and after letting her talk to the rest of the Ranger unit and her substitute called her into the office

"What is it Captain?"

"I need advice I...I'm sick Kerenai, with cancer, and I was wondering what to do"

"I...I don't know this for sure but I suggest reading the journals left behind by Arizona Lawson, particularly days 4375, 4380, 4385, and 4392 and the entries in-between if you want, he...he died a few months after his final journal entry just hours after getting them to the President to keep safe"

And so Allison gives her Captain the last journal in the series and the Captain decides to read each entry out loud to themselves

_Day 4375_

Today isn't one of my better days, I'm more tired than I normally should be, but considering how much traveling and fighting I've done lately and the fact that winter's set in I'm probably just coming down with a minor illness and will get well within a few days, well I'm tired again and need more sleep

_Day 4380_

Still sick and will see the nearest doctor in the next town seeing as how I'm not normally down for this long, hopefully the doctor will have something for me to help me get over this illness, whatever it is. At least the criminal I was chasing is behind bars and is slated to hang from what I understand

_Day 4385_

Third doctor today that I've seen, and still no answers as to what my illness is, however he's recommended that I see a doctor three days from here that seems to be getting well known for figuring out rare illnesses so hopefully I'll finally get answers

_Day 4392_

This is the last journal entry I will ever write, as you know over the last several entries I have mentioned becoming ill I...I get weaker every day, it's gotten to the point where I know I will soon be too weak to even pick up a pen, as such what strength and money I have left will be spent getting the journals to a safe place, though I can't explain for my own safety, but if I manage to make it you will find that out in person, if I fail I will find a way to get the journals to their ultimate destination before it finally reaches you but hopefully my strength holds out, maybe in Allison's day and age there might be a cure for whatever I have but as of now all doctors say it's fatal. The padre has promised me that he will keep the watch up for as long as he can, hopefully by the time he is no longer able to keep up the watch it will no longer be needed, this is Arizona Lawson signing off

After reading the journals the Captain thought about it and realized what they needed to do

"Thank you Kerenai for the use of the journal, it's given me a few answers already"

"You're welcome Captain"

Allison left the office having caught up a long time ago and realized that she  _needed_  to do some journal reading and when thinking about the date realized just why she needed to read the journals as well, it was around the time that Arizona had died and if nothing else they always read at least some of the journals on the anniversary of Arizona's death and his birthday, she decided to start at the beginning because they also tended to read the journals at random at times, but for the moment she wanted to go back to the beginning

_Day 1_

Well it's the first full day of you guys being...gone I guess, though I know the truth the world at large can never know. The President of course was informed by Allison about how the Lone Ranger, Tonto and Dan are asleep through special technology and Allison and her group are now home, but like I said already no one can know the truth, to the world at large the Lone Ranger and Tonto have died fighting an unknown enemy, fatally injured during the fighting though they succeeded in their fight before dying themselves. I will leave journals behind for the day you guys wake up but I wish that they weren't needed in the first place, you will know who has the journals in time I promise, but for now I am keeping my ideas a secret

Allison read several other entries before calming down enough to be able to put the journal down

"Oh Arizona, if only you had someone to talk to seeing as how I know for a fact that you wouldn't have talked to the President unless called upon, but things are the way they are"

Allison got a few things taken care of and then the next day started back at work, to a very surprising discovery, the same day she reported back to work a new Texas Ranger was in the office, having just finished the selection process over the weekend


	14. Chapter 14

"Hi...new face"

"Yes...though actually there's going to be two new faces seeing as how this is my last day here"

"Retiring Captain?"

"Yes, I told you that the journal had helped give me a few answers"

"I should have known all things considered"

"Well, I didn't give you full answers plus I wasn't entirely sure until I actually thought about the journals to get all the answers I needed, the journals simply helped solidify the need to retire"

"Kind of surprising since I just saw you yesterday"

"Medically expedited Kerenai"

"Wait, what do you mean medically expedited?"

"I have cancer, and according to the doctors it's fatal, I want to spend what time I have left with my family, I've been feeling ill for some time and mentioned that I might want to retire to the higher ups a few months ago and when I explained that I have terminal cancer they expedited it on medical grounds"

"So tomorrow's when we get the new Captain?"

"Yes, seeing as how they explained that for some reason you absolutely refuse a promotion Kerenai"

"Too risky as a Reserve, there are a few other reasons also but that's one of my primary reasons behind not accepting a promotion"

"Very well then, what I'm wondering is how you're going to cope"

"It'll be fine, it's not because of death so it should be fine"

"What?"

"Sorry rookie forgot you wouldn't understand, Kerenai over there has a...history of unit change that's pretty recent and harsh"

"I'll explain everything later, however something very important right now is that you will not have me around once a month for an entire weekend and once a year I will be gone for two weeks and a reserve Texas Ranger will be here instead since I am an Army Reserve"

"I understand, have both a cousin and a sister in the military so I understand leaving for duty"

"Though I'm sure that you've never been around a Reserve who stays around for the most part until training time comes or they're ordered to change to active duty"

"There are differences I'll admit but in any case I know what military duty means"

"Okay, well then time to get to work"

Five hours later Allison had time to think back to when she had first met Arizona Lawson due to the fact that she had been admitted in the hospital for a broken leg, wrenched shoulder and multiple cuts including two that would need stitches and she knew it. That had come about due to a fight against drug runners that had various weapons including knives which had given her the cuts, a club had broken her leg and one of her actual opponents had wrenched her shoulder

_Years earlier_

Allison and the EDC officers who had been with her when they had been sucked into the past were on their way to a nearby fort with a letter from the United States Marshal to help with the problems in the area when they came across Arizona Lawson in trouble

"Come on guys, let's help them out"

"Right"

The group came in shooting and saw that Arizona was doing okay but the main problem was being outnumbered, but finally the fighting was over and the group that had attacked Arizona retreated, unfortunately Arizona, Allison and one other officer were all hurt and they could all tell that Arizona was bad enough that moving him would be a bad idea, though him being conscious was a good thing in their mind

"Okay, here's what we're going to do, John, Carl and I will stay with this guy while the rest of you head to the fort and get help"

"But..."

"Don't argue with me on this, you won't win and you know it"

"Yeah but..."

"I...said...go!"

With that she slapped the horses that would carry those who were to go on and made sure that they were headed off and when she turned back she saw Carl glaring at her

"What?"

"Maybe you should have let them finish and allow us to come up with an actual plan"

"Sorry Carl, but that's not an option, three of us are injured and you're the only one besides those guys who are in real fighting condition. You know full well that John and I can fight at need but this guy is in no shape to do so, then there's the fact that I pulled rank and you all know it and agreed to it way back when we first wound up in this situation"

"We still should have thought of a plan"

"Sorry Carl but my word is law"

"Fine"

"Look Carl I know you're not happy about that but you also know why I am in charge and had to pull rank the way I did, our water supply, we need the fort if for no other reason than for water"

"What do you mean our water supply Kerenai?"

(Sighs) "I forgot I was the one in charge of checking our supply for the last week, I could have sworn I told you guys how low we were, we're almost out Carl, if there had been a debate we might have run out, the fort is still a good many hours away from our location and with an extra person we will run out of water sooner. I know everyone wanted to stay to help but we need water even more, I put a note in the saddle explaining that we needed water, that will be with the note of introduction"

"Well...I...should have...had a...say...by the...way...why is...a kid...in charge...of adults?"

"Maybe I'll explain later, for now  _you_  need rest, as does your dog"

"He...he won't hurt you...as long as...I tell him...to obey"

"Well for now we need to settle down for a long wait, we'll continue your treatment and then hope the fort sends a doctor with the rest of the group"

Three hours later they ran into a very nice surprise, Tonto and the Lone Ranger came up and with Tonto being there Allison finally allowed herself to pass out from a combination of emotional stress and the fact that her injuries were more serious than she had let on to the rest of the group. She woke up coherently for the first time three days later seeing as how she had briefly woken up several times before over the past few days but it was so brief or she was so out of it she didn't even know she had woken up, but finally she actually truly woke up, in the fort since that was the closest place that was safe for them to take the wounded

"Hey...Carl"

"Allison...you're awake and aware"

"How...long?"

"Three days, you've been in and out of it the entire time after Tonto and the Lone Ranger showed up"

Allison shot up from the bunk at hearing that

"I almost forgot about that, how did they get to our location? How's the stranger we helped? How...where are we anyways?"

"They came across the group you sent to the fort, the stranger's fine and on the road to recovery and we're at the fort we were heading for in the first place"

"Where are they now?"

"Out on the plains with our guys and the army on a scouting mission, apparently this is one of the forts where the commanding officer is well acquainted with Tonto and the Lone Ranger and as such Tonto will have no problems just coming here by himself at need with the report"

"I want to meet the person we helped"

"He wants to meet you, and his name by the way is Arizona, Arizona Lawson, the Lone Ranger told us his name while Tonto was working on you, he didn't see Arizona immediately but when he did he was shocked to see him and that's when we learned his name"

"How is he, besides the fact that he's on the mend?"

"It ultimately looked worse than it was, he has a broken leg from a bullet, several flesh wounds, one that we already knew about which if just an inch to the left would have killed him, and a shoulder wound that came really really close to nicking an artery but didn't ultimately"

"The scalp wound that we took care of"

"Exactly, he's not quite able to be up and about but he's getting there, his main problem was blood loss and a concussion from the head wound"

"Basically our advanced medical knowledge probably saved his life"

"Yep, because the shoulder wound would have killed him through bleeding out, Tonto and us combined has so far prevented infection but..."

"But it's not a guarantee that it will work"

"Exactly, as such he's still being kept on a close watch"

"Well the fort will do their best, for now I need to know how long until I can leave, we also have work to do"

" _You_  have another two days before I even think about letting you out of bed...ah, ah, ah, I'm the medic of the team and you know full well that means you have no authority over me in these matters"

Allison settled back into the bed knowing full well that Carl was telling the truth and didn't fight him any further, except when it came to the food she was being served, but that was because of the fact that it had onion in it that was obvious and with her being allergic to onion she was absolutely refusing to eat it, that fight she would always win without argument and when Carl found out that there was onion in the food he let her have something without onion, making it himself knowing that ways it would be completely safe for her. When the group came back Tom asked Carl an obvious question

"So how many fights did you have and lose?"

"Only one fight for both and you know as well I do that if there are onions in her meal she wins the argument against eating it every time"

"Totally acceptable for that fight to be had and lost, how did you prevent other fights?"

"Pulled medical rank"

"Ah, got you"

"That doesn't make sense"

"Okay, you know what's really up with us Lone Ranger, I am considered the medical person of the group and Allison has been taught from a young age to not fight against medical orders for reasons that are personal, as such if someone with medical training pulls medical rank that basically means that the person who's the medic of the team has given orders that are to be obeyed because it means that they're the one's in charge. Basically if someone pulls medical rank it means that person has authority over everyone who has the rank pulled, no matter how high up the hierarchy they normally are in a military unit, doesn't matter if the person who is under medical care is a Captain and the medical officer an Ensign, medical rank is medical rank and medical rank trumps all other ranks in the right setting"

Two days later Allison was strong enough to be up and about and just in time because of the fact that there was an Indian attack on the fort and things were going south fast, but fortunately for the fort Allison was there and ready to fight for the fort and the people in it

"Give me that rifle"

"No miss, you keep down"

"I'm fighting and that's final, or do you want to argue any further?"

"Get back to safety"

Allison just sighs and then grabs the rifle from the injured soldier and quickly proved she knew how to shoot because she shot a round, ejected the round and reloaded the rifle and repeated quite often and faster than what most people thought could be done, though they were a little worried about her breaking the rifle due to how she slammed the bolt back into place every time as she was using a bolt action rifle, what they weren't aware of was that she knew  _exactly_  how much force she should use since she was quite knowledgeable in rifles and other weapons in her real time period even at a young age. Finally though the fighting was over with, three fatalities on the military side, multiple wounded but all civilians were okay, Arizona had his guns out just in case but if not for the fact that Tonto had literally tied him to the bed he would have been fighting as well

"Tied him down Tonto?"

"Ah, him stubborn like masked friend, need force to keep him healthy"

"Yeah and I'm going to get you back for this somehow Tonto, but for now I'm hoping to hear the story behind that girl and her friends"

"Later mister, once we're no longer in the fort, I have my reasons, but since you're friends with Tonto and the Lone Ranger I know you can be trusted"

Ultimately while most of the group could leave within a week Arizona was stuck at the fort for a whole month, but finally he was released from the fort medics care and started traveling around knowing that the Lone Ranger and Tonto at least never stayed in one place for very long depending on what the problem they were handling was and knew nothing about Allison and her group and how they operated, which was slightly different from the Lone Ranger and Tonto but also similar in that they stayed in one place long enough to not only help but make sure that things are at least stable enough that there isn't sudden chaos as soon as they leave the area, but once that was assured they too moved on to the next place that needed their help, in the opposite direction of the Lone Ranger and Tonto as much as possible though occasionally they teamed up depending on circumstances and factors, namely the padre that was the main contact point for the Lone Ranger. Finally though six months after he left the fort he finally met up with Allison and her group again, and surprisingly enough Tonto and the Lone Ranger were also there as well, and Tonto was speaking perfect English due to this being two years after Allison and the group had come to the past and helped Tonto, with the Lone Ranger's and Dan's help in getting his English like everyone else who was a native English speaker

"Have you made sure that you're all okay?"

"Yes Tonto we're fine, I made sure about that matter as soon as the fighting was over with"

"But the gunpowder..."

"We weren't near the explosion, I promise"

"But we saw..."

"I know Lone Ranger, however the angle you were at meant you couldn't properly judge our actual location in reference to where the gunpowder was located"

"Though admittedly for Carl it was a close call"

"Yeah, and I already talked to him about it guys so back. Off. Now"

"Understood Kerenai, topic is done with"

"Good, don't forget that or you and I will be having words, and a sparring match to reinforce the lesson"

"I remember the last time you did that and it wasn't a pretty sight"

"Good, than never force me to take you to task about this"

"I won't, though I'm sure you'll take any one of us to task for any number of reasons, including what happened soon after we had first arrived in this time period"

"You guys scared me okay? I had just reunited with you guys after being alone for almost a month and I thought I lost you so soon after getting back with you guys, I didn't realize that there was a plan for what had happened"

"That admittedly wasn't the smartest idea of ours, keeping you out of the loop was a bad move considering the fact that you pulled rank as soon as we first woke up and we agreed to that all things considered"

Arizona decides to interrupt the conversation

"Hi guys, just saw you and decided to come over"

"Uh-huh, and just how much did you overhear before speaking up?"

"Enough to know that I really need that full story you promised at the fort"

"Right, okay here's what's going on"

And so Arizona is told the full story, about how Allison and her group were from the future, about how there had been an accident during a test, even learning about personal history as well and finally they finished the story

"I see...I'll take this with me to the grave, and I make the same vow that Dan did, if possible I will leave journals behind once I know you're back in your time period, and if Dan can't leave behind journals than it's all the more reason to do so and I will do my very best to make sure that there's something left behind for you guys"

"Allison yes, but the rest of us no"

"But guys..."

"No Kerenai, we don't want to hear about the past once we're back home, we don't have the same connection you already do with those two by our choice to remain emotionally distant and you know why we make that choice sometimes"

"I know, for now though it's time to relax for a short time, we've all been way too active these past six months and as such we're all mentally and possibly also physically exhausted"

Suddenly while Allison is watching everyone set up camp for the night her voice was suddenly sharp and intense

"John! Tom! Patrick! Front and center, now"

The three go up to Allison and it's immediately obvious that Patrick was the designated speaker

"Yes Kerenai?"

"Why did you lie to me? I thought I was clear that injuries are not to be hidden from me at any time, and that you're not to hide injuries from me either, I thought those were explicit orders"

"We didn't think they were a big deal and didn't want to worry you unnecessarily"

Allison sighs, puts her head down and rubs the bridge of her nose with two fingers for a few moments before her head goes up again with a clear decision

"Double KP duty for all of you, for a solid month each, that includes getting the food by the way, be grateful I'm not also doubling watch duty on top of the KP duty, but, and this is for everyone, if this happens again double KP duty and double watch duty will both be happening, the time period may or may not vary depending on several factors, we'll see if that scenario ever happens again, but hopefully it shouldn't"

"Who goes first?"

"The instigator if there is one, if not it goes by last names, I expect you to be honest with me and the rest of the group on this matter by the way, if I find out you lied you are  _going_  to be sparring with me as soon as you're safely able to on top of the original punishment"

Knowing that Allison was dead serious Tom spoke up to keep the other two from getting into deeper trouble than they were already in

"It was me Kerenai, I was the one who decided to lie and brought the other two in on hiding injuries because of the fact that I know you worry too much at times"

Allison looks straight into his eyes and sees that he's telling the truth

"Okay, you first, John next and Patrick last"

"Understood, punishment starts tonight?"

"Tomorrow, we're all  _way_  too tired to properly start tonight, I don't want you making stupid mistakes because of that"

"Right, at least there's no onions around"

"That's only because of you guys"

"Onions?"

"Yeah Arizona, I'm allergic to the food, deathly allergic so I avoid it as much as possible"

"And with the fact that technology now isn't as advanced as the technology of our time that means she will most likely die if she ever eats onion right now"

"Yeah, we almost learned the hard way"

"I'm an  _expert_  at finding onion before I have any by accident"

"No kidding, the first accident two years ago was the last accident"

"Oh, how do you make it sound so certain?"

"Three day hospital stay"

"That would do it alright"

"Well for now it's everyone doing what they can for dinner, and then tomorrow..."

"We know"

"For now, we still have work to do to get ready for tonight, however Patrick is to stay away from the firewood for tonight, or do you want to make your shoulder worse?"

"I'll stay away"

"Good"

That night was interesting in that Arizona saw a new dynamic between Allison's group and his old friends, the next three months the three followed their punishment and once that was done made a silent vow never to get in that situation ever again. Over the next three years they ran into Arizona more frequently than they thought they would and got to know him relatively well, even going as far as making sure that he found out about Tonto, Dan and the Lone Ranger when they fell shortly before they went back to their own time

_Present_


	15. Chapter 15

Allison's thought were back in the present by the time the doctor came into her room

"Hey doctor, how long until my discharge?"

"At least a week I'm afraid, that break was pretty serious, and that one knife wound was also really, really close to vital areas"

"Yeah...stupid drug runners being armed to the teeth"

"Well I've already informed both your jobs you're on medical leave for a bit and then light duty until you're back to full strength"

"I'm supposed to do that though"

"Yeah, except that your Ranger Captain was here for a checkup on a burn and your military boss came in for another soldier"

"Okay that would be an exception to the rule, so a week huh?"

"Yup, and I know about you and boredom so starting tomorrow you'll have things to occupy yourself with, but for tonight, it's nap time for you"

"Nap time...why is...it...nap...time...?"

Suddenly Allison was unconscious due to being sedated, not for a fix on her leg since that had already been taken care of but for a bullet wound that she and the doctors had initially been unaware of and as such she needed minor surgery to get the bullet out of the leg that was broken, seeing as how it was getting on night time the doctors decided to just give her light sedation and let her sleep for as long as she wanted to after the sedation wore off, they also had a sleep aid on hand in case it was one of her bad nights

"She's not going to be very happy with you when she wakes up"

"Oh I know that, but it's for the best she's unconscious for this, and better to have a sleeping aid on hand in case of extreme nightmares based off experiences"

"Seen it before with her?"

"Yes, but I'm talking more about her experiences not mine, but I know her well enough to know that we really need the sleep aid on hand since I've seen her several times since I started here six years ago"

"So how bad is it?"

"Bad, hurt herself bad at times, as such if she has the beginnings of nightmares she is to be  _watched_  the rest of the night, no exceptions"

"Making us down a nurse"

"Nope because this hospital has procedures in place for Kerenai and those like her"

"Since when?"

"Twenty years, seeing as how you're new here it's expected that you're unaware of all our procedures yet, but you'll learn soon enough"

"How often have they seen people like this patient here?"

"Often enough that they realized that they needed special procedures in place as a precaution"

"Well at least we got her leg taken care of"

"True enough, now then hourly checks for fever and making sure she isn't in the throws of a nightmare"

"That another standard procedure for the hospital?"

"Nope, that's standard procedure for Kerenai, at least the fever part, as for the nightmare part we have means of knowing through the alarms if a nightmare is being started and confirmed with an in person check, but for some reason Kerenai is prone to fever after medical procedures, it doesn't happen every time but it's happened often enough that there is a warning on her chart"

"A warning that's obviously heeded"

"Exactly"

"So hourly checks unless something indicates otherwise"

"Exactly"

"What I'm wondering is  _why_  she's so prone to fever after a medical procedure"

"If she knows she's not telling"

Ultimately this was one of her better stays in the hospital, better in that she didn't have a fever but did have to be sedated twice because of nightmares

"I know you hate sedation but it was needed"

"With the nightmares I'm not fighting you on that decision, but never, and I do mean  _never_  sedate me again without warning when you need to do something medically, you got lucky this time but I have been known to come up fighting if I am suddenly sedated and awake for sedation"

"Sorry Kerenai, I know you have a sedation rule but I didn't realize it was so dangerous not to obey it"

"Yeah, and you've been one of my primary doctors ever since you started here"

"Never came up before"

"Fine, by the way I overheard the conversation where you wanted to know why I'm prone to fevers whenever I have medical procedures done"

"Um..."

"Even my family is unsure why that is, and I've been tested  _a lot_  over the years"

"Very well than, you're being discharged tomorrow"

"Okay, and I know to obey medical orders"

"Good, you should be on light duty within six to eight weeks"

"Right"

"Have you used crutches before?"

"Yes, when I was younger, I'll be okay by myself"

"Very well, I'll have the discharge paperwork ready in the morning"

"Thanks, well it's late in all honestly so I'll see about getting sleep"

"Right, you're on minimal monitoring unless something changes"

"The IV too I'm sure"

"Sorry, but you're on IV antibiotics until you get discharged"

"Preventative measure?"

"Preventative measure, don't know why this wasn't thought of before"

"Don't ask me ask my family if you like but I don't know what their thought process was"

"I can explain that one"

Allison looks to see Dan Reid

"Why Dan, what are you doing here?"

"I'm moving here, my job officially took over a law company here in Dallas and I'm one of the lawyers that was asked to help with the transition being smoothed out as much as possible despite all the planning that's been going on for the past year and a half, which I was unaware of until shortly before that day I came down for the conference, you know that rough patches always happen despite all the planning in the world"

" _That's_  why you talked to me after the conference about what it was like living and working in Dallas, and all those traffic questions too"

"Yup, I didn't ask about apartments because that would have been a dead give away when the transition and merger wasn't completely decided on yet"

"Why do I get the feeling that even if the merger hadn't happened you two would have been doing more frequent business and as a native of Texas you would have been the primary contact person?"

"Because you know my job and me"

"That's right, at least partially"

"Well until I find a place can I crash at yours?"

"Sure, doctors will probably feel better actually all things considered"

"Yeah, Tonto and uncle John both told me about this"

"How did they...oh yeah I know how"

"Your bosses indeed if that was your guess"

"Partially my guess, but the news would have also told them as well"

"Nope both your bosses convinced the news not to reveal your identity"

"So the bosses told them and they told you"

"Well one boss anyways, and not your immediate superior"

"I think I know who was the one who actually told them"

"He was in the area so it made sense"

"And just how did he sneak past everyone?"

"Stayed on base there and you know how strict the military is about news reporters"

"True enough, how did John get clearance?"

"How do you think?"

"You know as well as I do that it wouldn't have been enough, not when they were doing chemical warfare drills that I myself was supposed to be part of if not for my job also doing the training at the same time and thus excluding me since I need to know both aspects and the military decided I was to focus on the civilian side this rotation, or did you forget six years ago?"

"Um...I completely forgot about how hard it was for my uncle and I to see you guys on base six years ago, as such I have no clue how it happened now that you've pointed that out, wait how did Tonto not get pulled in?"

"Medic, he also needs to know the civilian side of the job since there  _are_  differences and while Austin isn't doing any training in that area specifically the base is working with the civilian sector on this and as such he's doing the training on the civilian job side"

"Gotcha, mass casualty training?"

"Mass casualty training and the base would need to send people to local hospitals depending on several factors, including an attack on base"

"Well in any case he managed to get clearance and the conversation happened on base, in person since all our phones have to be secure because of our EDC connection"

"Okay that answers all the questions I have about you being here, now then since visiting hours are over I'll see you in the morning Dan, oh have you told Tonto and John about you moving back to Texas?"

"Yes I have, told them first for reasons that you're already well aware of"

"Yes I am indeed well aware of why you told them first once everything was confirmed"

The next day would start a month long apartment hunt for Dan since finding a place to stay on his own was hard, but he was with Allison for that month which allowed John and Tonto to relax since they knew he was safe with a friend

"Finally found a place Allison"

"Good, I know you've been wanting to find something for a while now"

"This place is just too small for the both of us, even with slightly different schedules"

"I know, I was half tempted to stay on base during the weekends just to give us a little breathing room in the kitchen if nothing else"

"Well won't be long now, I move out during your weekend training next week"

"Have help for that?"

"I do, what stuff isn't in storage is here and I have some co-workers who volunteered to help me leave my temporary place for my permanent place"

"Good, because if not I would have asked my fellow Rangers if they wanted to help"

"Well, good luck with training, oh and tell Tonto that I'll be down soon, what you can't tell him is that it'll be for his birthday and I have a special surprise for him this year"

"Though getting back his name is hard to trump"

"I'm not trying to trump him getting his name back, but it's still something special for him, something I don't think he's expecting, actually I'm pretty sure he's not expecting the surprise I have for him"

"And you're not telling me"

"No, I want you just as surprised as he's going to be" (thinks) " _especially since you've long since been discouraged about what the surprise is, I finally found some of Tonto's past, things of his tribe which you long searched for after your return, but finally gave up because of constant failure and lack of funds right after you finished the police academy_ "

And that had been the crux of Allison's problem, she had searched for things from Tonto's tribe that had been wiped out for a long time, but eventually after multiple failures and no money she finally gave up, though she kept up the search on occasion through having liaisons in museums across the world but every time there was a chance she was ultimately disappointed. But Dan finally found some of Tonto's past through some of those same contacts, and also some different contacts as well and wanted to surprise both of them in revealing that artifacts from Tonto's tribe had been found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way just in case i never get back to it in the story the reason why her family never thought about preventative measures was because of the fact that even before her trip to the past her family was extremely careful about introducing antibiotics to her system regularly because of the powers she had been born with and the fact that there was the potential of them being adaptive in the medical field


	16. Chapter 16

"Very well than"

The next week was spent like it was every month, because even though Allison wasn't cleared for much in regards to duty after only a month she was finally at her police job allowed to help with paperwork and for her military job they were doing Morse Code training and as an all-rounder her skills were especially important and needed testing every so often and so that was what the military was going to do, besides test to see how smoothly she could transition from working with one team to working with a team completely new to her because as one of the few comms people that was trained for every unit and branch, she had to be ready to pass on messages at a moments notice from groups that she didn't normally work with, and quite possibly be the only means of communicating with the military so her job was extremely important

"So you're just doing communication work this time?"

"Yes, not really cleared for much else really yet"

"Why do you need to do such work anyways?"

"It's complicated guys, but let's just say that my job is unique not just within my unit but within the military as a whole"

"Fine, now then, we're settled here, and we'll see you in two days"

"Four this time"

"Why four?"

"Um...long weekend remember?"

"Oh yeah, forgot about that, the military does every so often do long weekend re-certification training doesn't it?"

"Yes and this is one of those times"

"Okay we'll see you in four days then"

That weekend was a bit hard on several people but ultimately it was also very beneficial

"Guess that's it then isn't it?"

"Yes, that's it, see everyone next weekend"

"For that one training scenario it could have been bad without you couldn't it have?"

"Oh yeah, really extremely bad to be honest, that unit lost all other means of communication besides enemy radio equipment and military codes within Morse codes was the only thing that saved their lives according to the scenario that played out"

"That's actually a really scary thought if one truly thinks about it"

"Yes, yes it indeed is an extremely scary thought if one truly thought about it"

"Well for now it's time to go back to our other jobs once more"

"Yes, time for our civilian jobs to get us back"

"And you're finally allowed on more than just desk duty, though still have to be careful for a little bit longer"

"Yes, it's a relief to be cleared for light duty once more"

Suddenly Allison's phone rang and she switched to Cybertronian, and while she wasn't understood they also understood that something serious was up

"What's wrong Kerenai?"

"Family is missing, two of them leaders, Optimus and Galvatron were heading to a diplomatic thing of some sort due to the fact that some members of the group wanted to deal directly with at least two of the Cybertronian leaders, the rest of the family is transportation and escort"

"You need to go to them, you're one of the leaders if something happens to at least two of the primary leaders"

"No, I have strict orders to obey status quo right now but they'll let me know if I'm needed later"

"But Kerenai..."

"No, I've been raised by them since I was two years old I know what the rules are and what to do for every single scenario, I'm staying away unless called for, there are others who are just as capable of leading at least temporarily until things are resolved"

"But Kerenai..."

"I said no guys, now then we all need to get back to our civilian jobs so let's depart"

Allison's civilian job was extremely relieved to learn that she could be back on light duty because she really was needed in that capacity

"You still need time for full duty but light duty is better than what we've been dealing with"

"My leg will regain it's strength soon enough, I've been working on it ever since the cast came off during the reserve training"

"Okay than, you're helping train rookie officers who are thinking about joining the Texas Rangers"

"Understood sir, it's only understandable all things considered"

"Don't worry Kerenai, you'll be back on full duty soon enough I reckon now that your leg is out of a cast"

"I know, just impatient at times and you know full well why that is Captain"

"I know, but everything takes it's time, now then get going"

"Right"

Allison spent an entire month observing potential Texas Rangers, and seeing closely that most were currently not suited for the job, but that was because they were  _too_  new to being a police officer, a few others didn't have quite the right attitude but a few were promising recruits at least

"So...how are they?"

"Most won't make good recruits, though the majority is because they're just too new at being police officers in general, a few are because of bad attitudes, there are a few promising recruits though, but further observation will be needed to confirm my suspicions"

"So some of them might make good recruits with refinement?"

"Yes, but it will be several years before we can make a decision on those recruits, all of them also have a lot to learn about when to use lethal force and when not to use lethal force, even with John and I going to the police academy regularly over the years since our first time doing what we can to teach the recruits when to go for less lethal to non-lethal tactics, even going to far as to teaching them to go for the legs or shoulders, basically non-lethal areas of the body, no one but John can do hand shots"

"Those hand shots are epic though, he always shoots weapons out of enemy hands, and you're just as good though you don't do that often, you're also well known for the bow and arrow, though the EDC and SWAT are becoming just as known over the past few months"

"Indeed they are, which is a good thing because the variety gives them options, not just for hurting the enemy but also for means of communication, though I don't think they've stumbled on that aspect yet despite Tonto's and my efforts to do so"

"Speaking of communication a group involved in police work wants to know what languages you are able to speak, it's part of a new project of some sort that I don't fully understand"

"Oh I know the project, one of them I am not acknowledging only because of the fact that quite frankly it's never going to be needed as far as I know so they don't need to know that I know that language"

"I think I know the language you're not acknowledging, but what are the other ones?"

"American Sign Language, Spanish, Canadian French and Russian, and the Russian has been used before several years ago"

"Yes I know about the incident"

"Good, then they actually know about Russian already, but you can reveal the other languages now, speaking of, Carlos!"

"Yeah"

Suddenly Allison switches deliberately to Sign Language knowing that Carlos knew it due to both parents and a younger brother being deaf

*Go to basement and tell Adam that military sign is being discussed for EDC, if that happens SWAT needs to know about it and also about the signs that military uses, also tell brother I want to talk to him later about a project I have in mind*

*Right, by the way Dan Reid keeps asking for you*

*Been busy I know it might involve Tonto, but other than that I'm clueless*

The next day Allison finally got in contact with Dan and it turned out he wanted to speak with her about certain locations that he wanted to check on and see if they were good for him or not seeing as how he  _still_  hadn't found a new dentist or primary care physician seeing as how all four of them avoided using the EDC as their medical care if it could be avoided, he also wanted to make sure she had off for Tonto's birthday


	17. Chapter 17

"Yes I requested that day off when you mentioned you had a surprise for him, as for the others I will give you the number of my dentist, however for the primary care physician I'm afraid I'm hunting for a new one myself since my current office is closing down within the next two months"

"Well one out of two will work for now, if I find the physician I like first I'll tell you"

"Thanks"

"What I'm wondering is why even after two or three months you're still struggling with finding some of what you need"

"Don't ask, just don't ask"

"Fine, but all bets are off in certain circumstances that you're well aware of already"

"Right"

"Well than I'll see you in a month for his birthday"

"Right, see you then"

The next day Allison proved that she was indeed healed up by chasing a suspect seventeen blocks and then taking them down after a fight

"You're under arrest and being taken in for questioning, and seriously you are so  _stupid_  trying to run from us, you're lucky there isn't a K-9 unit nearby or you would've been bit"

Everyone stared at Allison and her prisoner because both of them were pretty dirty and scuffed up

"Do I even want to know?"

"Not entirely Captain, let's just say he resisted arrest even after being chased down for seventeen blocks, the dirt is part of the chase but that will be in my report"

"Right, that is indeed needed so I will find out either way, but still that can wait until you clean up a bit"

"Thanks, the suspect is also needing cleaned up, and then there's the fact that he may or may not have cuts all over him, but that I'm not sure of"

While Allison was doing paperwork her mind once again wondered off to the past like it had been doing frequently lately for reasons she was unsure, this time she was thinking about the third time they had been with Arizona, and they were also at a fort which was being attacked by both Apache and Comanche Indians who were  _not_  happy with the government, and she and Arizona were basically by themselves guarding a section of the wall due to the fact that most of the soldiers had fallen and the EDC officers were in other locations where they were best suited, including both being a medic and guarding the medic rooms

_Past_

"We could really use some air support right about now"

"Air support? What's air support?"

"Not your time Arizona, and I'm just thinking to myself for the most part...um...Arizona?...do you see what I see?"

Arizona looks to the distance and sees exactly what Allison is seeing

"Oh no, worse case scenario here"

"Yeah, forget air support or at least the air support I was originally thinking of, I wish now that we had smoke jumpers, SEAT's, the works in bombarding that fire with water"

"Okay, you really are from another time if you're talking about something I have no clue about"

"You're just now fully understanding that after having already heard the story?"

"I'm not around you enough to truly let it sink in"

"You have a point, I'm talking about an advanced way of fighting forest fires that hasn't been invented yet, primarily because the means to use the advanced way of fighting hasn't been invented"

"Does that invention coincide with your earlier comment about air support?"

"Yes it does, I might explain later, for now we get these Indians off our backs and start thinking of a way to fight the fire, unless it's the tactic of simply letting the fire burn itself out this time around"

Suddenly an EDC officer showed up after giving a whistle which let Allison know that a friend was near her seeing as how she was so intent on her assignment that any sudden moves towards her from any direction would have gotten someone hurt

"Hey, things seem to be calming down for the moment but..."

"Yeah I know, we really, really need water planes, and earlier I was really wishing for air support"

"I know, I also feel that ways at times, but we are in the situation we are and have to make do with what we have"

"Yeah, tell the commanding officer of the fort about the fire that's heading our ways will you?"

"Will do, want who can to sneak out to fight the fire?"

"NO...no it's too risky, we're going to have to hope that the fire burns itself out or that someone else notices it and does something to help lessen the severity of the fire"

"Right, the others are taking over Kerenai, you've been here too long"

"The medic?"

"Stood down as well, but things seem to have calmed down anyways so he can get some rest, which is something you've ignored for how long now?"

"So I've been up a day and a half already because of the fever, I've been up longer before and you know it Carlos"

"I know it, but I also know that you're flagging and possibly getting sick too"

"I'm...fine...just...just..."

Allison suddenly collapses and when Carlos feels her forehead he hisses in shock because she had a fever, a high fever at that, unfortunately for the fort the EDC wasn't very trusting of most people but there was one person at the fort that they did trust besides themselves

"TONTO!"

Tonto and the Lone Ranger were both also at the fort in a very strange coincidence for everyone and when Tonto heard his name being called and realized that it was Carlos he knew that something was desperately wrong

"What matter?"

"She's feverish Tonto, she...she's getting sick I fear"

Tonto feels her forehead and realizes the truth of what Carlos was saying, over the next three hours Allison got worse, to the point where her breathing was erratic and she was being kept closely watched with the EDC knowing that only CPR would save her life, and even then it might not be enough

"She pretty sick, fever not get better yet"

"I know, Tonto I'll keep watch for a bit, make sure cold clothes are still on her forehead, hopefully everything we do will work eventually, medicine in an hour correct?"

"Correct"

"Okay"

Ultimately the EDC officer did need to go to sleep, but he slept with a hand on Allison's chest knowing that was the only way they would know if she stopped breathing during the night. Two days later the officer on watch duty woke up to an obvious change in Allison's breathing, it seemed stronger than it had been for a long time and when they looked they saw that Allison was awake for the first time since she had succumbed to the fever almost three days before

"Kerenai, you're awake"

"Hey...been a while?"

"Yes, almost three days since you came down with the fever that almost killed you"

"Wow, didn't even realize I was getting sick"

"You were, dangerously ill, if not for Tonto's skills and our knowledge you would have probably died"

"Sorry, didn't mean to worry you guys"

"Yeah well...you came close to getting pneumonia, and you're confined to bed for another day at least"

"How close is close?"

"Um...actually having it close, we're honestly not able to diagnose pneumonia in this time period accurately and so we're not sure if you did or didn't have it. All we know is that we slept with a hand on your chest to make sure that you were still breathing throughout the night, during the day it was easier to keep an eye on your breathing but during the night when we ourselves need sleep..."

"I see, CPR?"

"Not needed, but came pretty close when you were only breathing  _five breaths a minute_  and that's averaging it"

"Ouch, that's bad"

"Yeah, it is, if you hadn't spontaneously regained your normal breathing rate one of us would have started using artificial reparations until you yourself started breathing on your own correctly again"

"How soon?"

"Today unless you had stopped breathing before then"

"Understood, so resting for another day or so"

"Yes, so no rank pulling on me?"

"No rank pulling this time, I still feel exhausted"

"Well Arizona needed to leave but he knows you're getting better, the Lone Ranger and Tonto are still here but also need to leave soon, but Tonto is being stubborn enough that they're trying to wait until you are up and about"

"Tell them I'm fine and that they have work to do and to get going, we'll send word once we leave the fort so that they know I am indeed recovering from whatever it is I got"

A week later Allison was finally up and about because it turned out that she was weaker than even her watchers thought, as soon as they were at a town away from the fort Allison let everyone know she was okay and traveling once more, though she found a really, really angry sheriff in one town, and the sheriff was angry at the Lone Ranger and when Allison heard why she laughed while telling her EDC companions

"And...and he thinks...that the...the Lone Ranger...actually abducted the banker...and stole money at the same time...and that Tonto is under his control"

"Did...did you tell the sheriff who he was?"

"Nope...primarily because I saw Dan in town and he wants to do things his way and that includes keeping the sheriff from knowing who he is, I don't know why but it is what it is, we can help if it gets too big too fast but otherwise we're staying out of it this time"

"Those orders or suggestions?"

"Orders"

"Got it"

And so fortunately they weren't needed but the sheriff sure was surprised at learning about the Lone Ranger that was for certain

_Present_

Allison finished her report and gave it to her Captain


	18. Chapter 18

"Here you are sir"

"Thanks, the rest of the day is yours"

"Thank you sir"

Allison meets the brother and explains that she wanted to talk to him about a special project involving traffic safety for children in a deaf school, and as the brother of a police officer he could help make the arrangements needed and potentially act as the translator for the officer

*I'll start things, but you need to talk to your boss about it too*

*Don't worry I will, the thing is I needed to know if you were on board before I did so seeing as how due to my military duties I may or may not be available at the time the program happens and as such I need to have an intermediary with the school and like I said as the brother of a police officer you can be that intermediary at need*

*Okay, so tomorrow then?*

*Yes tomorrow, I was allowed off early today but because of that I have time to start planning things now that I know that you're on board with the project*

*Haven't visited my brother on duty in a while so it works out perfectly*

*Good, wait until after noon court session though*

*Got it*

A month later and it was finally Tonto's birthday and time for the surprise that Dan had been surprisingly close lipped about, but even during the party there wasn't even a hint about when the surprise would be revealed, but finally after all but one of the gifts had been given Dan knew it was time to reveal the surprise, something that had been needed for a long time now

"Before the last  _physical_  gift is given I have to give a bit of back story, some of this is already known to everyone here and those that don't know it are because we don't really think about it since it's past and mostly over with, Tonto's tribe was wiped out a long time ago in the past, and Allison knew it. When she got back to her present time she used up all the resources she had for years searching for any artifacts that she could give to Tonto when he finally woke up, but she ran out of money at around the same time she went to the police academy, but at the same time managed to keep contacts with museums across the world who had many false leads and hopes and became discouraged. When I became a lawyer I gained many of the same contacts and a few different ones as well, plus I could also fund a few searches as well. Six months ago I received word that I was hoping for for at least a year. Tonto here's something I think you recognize, something you've missed for a long time now"

With that Dan gave Tonto a somewhat small box and when Tonto opened it he gasped in amazement because what was given was a necklace, but not just any necklace, the necklace of his father the chief

"Thank you Dan I...I never thought I would see this again"

"There's more Tonto, I managed to get the necklace seeing as how it rightfully belongs to you in the first place, despite the fact that your tribe is no longer, but there are other artifacts that have been found and proven to be from your tribe, they're currently in the Smithsonian awaiting your permission to be seen in that museum and in other museums across the world. I have that letter and permission form with me to give to you"

The look on Tonto's face was all the thanks Dan needed and the look on Allison's face that had been there since she had figured it out had totally been worth it as well. It took a few days but Tonto finally decided to let the Smithsonian show the world artifacts from his tribe, however he wanted to see them in private first seeing as how he'd thought them lost forever. The Smithsonian naturally allowed it seeing as how they had figured that he would want to do so in the first place. Once Tonto had seen the artifacts of his tribe for the first time in many, many years they were available for the rest of the world to see

"Thank you Dan, for making my wish finally possible after I had given up all hope of giving Tonto some of his past back"

"I know that you wanted to be the one who gave Tonto back his past, but there just wasn't enough contacts for you to succeed, and money is ultimately limited, even with your resources available to you"

"Thanks again Dan, I didn't even know that you were aware of my wish that I had all but given up on"

"I discovered it by mistake to be honest but when I found out I used my own contacts that I had already established in the art world and also asked to meet your contacts and combined we finally succeeded in your mission to give Tonto his past back after having thought them lost for a long time now"

"Well, now Tonto has a piece of his people and the rest of the world can learn a bit about his tribe as well with the artifacts that were found"

"They're still looking for artifacts too now that there's been a slight success, some will go to Tonto depending on what the artifacts are, others will go to museums with Tonto's permission"

"I think having his father's necklace is the greatest gift he could receive besides knowing that his tribe's history is now officially preserved, despite his best efforts himself"

"Well next week is training again"

"Yes, but first I have a museum to visit"

"You want to see the artifacts"

"Yes I do, I've only ever heard about his people from Tonto, I want to see some of their life through the eyes of artifacts that are found, though I'm surprised that they allowed you to take his father's necklace to give to him"

"I know, I was surprised too, however that's what they allowed saying that Tonto deserves to have a piece of his past back, especially something that would have been passed down to him anyways when the time came"

Allison did go to the Smithsonian to see their newest exhibit and she was amazed at the artifacts left by Tonto's tribe, and very relieved to see them in the first place

"This whole situation was worth it, despite my failing knowing that this exhibit is here is worth everything I had done and gone through"

Allison took three full days to view the entire exhibit, because while it was small relatively speaking she took a lot of time just reading about what they speculated about the tribe through the artifacts, and also what they had gotten from Tonto, it also mentioned that they were now looking for more artifacts in an area slightly distanced from where they had found the first artifacts just in case water swept it away since the area was known to be prone to flash floods, and Tonto confirmed that in private mentioning that his tribe had almost been wiped out once because of one such incident, they were fortunate in that the tribe had been temporarily moved by the army with Tonto's father's permission because of a combination of sickness in a nearby town and it being an extremely dry season meaning possible forest fires

"So are you enjoying the exhibits?"

"I totally enjoyed the exhibits, I have military duty to serve now though so it may be a while before I can come back, if they're still here when I do get back"

"You have other job?"

"Yes, I'm normally a Texas Ranger, unless I am activated, when that happens I am a military soldier"

"And you're activated at least one weekend a month and two weeks a year from what I'm hearing"

"Yes, I am in the reserves"

"I have a brother in the Coast Guard, he's thinking of switching to the reserves himself once his time in active duty is completed"

"It's a discussion for the whole family, and by the time he's ready to go into the reserves he may no longer want to or be able to depending on what happens while on active duty"

"You're right, I'll remind him of that since I think he's forgotten that"

"No, probably just forces himself not to think about it depending on what his duty is"

"Oh...I didn't think of that aspect"

"I know, most families don't like to think about that either, but as a police officer I'm faced with that reality in two different ways so it's easier for me to think about consequences I think"

"Oh, so will you be late for deployment if you have lunch with me?"

Allison checks her watch and utters a Cybertronian curse under her breath

"It's that late already? I won't miss deployment, but I  _will_  miss my flight if I stay behind, I need to leave from Dallas to report in for reasons I can't get into, and as such I need to get back before training"

"Does those reasons involve your job?"

"Not...exactly, it's complicated and not for civilians to know"

Allison made her flight and three days later reported for weekend training, which was interesting in that training became reality because they were  _supposed_  to have been doing search and rescue training, but after an avalanche they were doing an actual SAR mission

"Well that was interesting"

"Tell your Rangers about this?"

"Yes, I am allowed to talk about training sometimes, part of that is because of them being law enforcement, the other part is that some training exercises aren't classified at any time and SAR training is one such exercise seeing as how quite frankly police officers do SAR as well and any new methods could be helpful in a civilian setting"

"Why isn't SAR classified?"

"Because some reservists are true civilians, in my unit alone we have two car mechanics, three teachers, one college student, and seven in various fast food or restaurant workers"

"Okay, that's a good reason why some training can't be classified"

"Exactly"

"Oh wait, one is in entertainment of some sort"

"In any case depending on what the exercise is the training isn't classified"

"Exactly"

"Well you're back on duty in three days"

"What's with the extra time period?"

"Um...well we...that is you the unit...well...um..."

"What. Is. Wrong?"

"Fiveofficerswoundedandtheofficetrashedinafirefightyesterday"

"Say that again? I don't think I heard you correctly"

"Five officers were wounded and the office trashed yesterday when a prisoner temporarily escaped custody and made their way to the office and also somehow got a gun"

"How bad are the injuries?"

"Relatively light all things considered, the worst is a shoulder wound that has the potential to medically retire the officer due to nerve damage, but we won't know that for months"

"But they're all in the hospital for at least a day?"

"Yeah, the shoulder wound needed surgery while the others needed an eye kept on them for other reasons that won't be explained"

"Oh I can guess why they needed to stay in the hospital for a night despite the fact that their wounds aren't too serious as far as I'm aware"

"What's your guess?"

"Hospital policy established at the same time I was finishing up healing"

"You guess correctly, at least partially, the rest of the explanation is up to them if they decide to"

"The one thing I don't know is why they extended that to every officer because it's automatic for me due to my strange affliction where I occasionally get a fever after medical procedures, and no one has any idea why that happens, despite all the testing that's been done over the years"

"How much testing has been done anyways?"

"At least once a year when I have my annual visit with family sometimes more testing if I wind up in the hospital, military or civilian and get a fever due to a medical procedure, major or minor, it doesn't matter"

"That is a lot of testing"

"Yeah, at least we figured out why I'm allergic to onions finally since we've been wondering about that too"

"Oh?"

"It's hereditary, my grandmother on my father's side has a cousin who had a son who was allergic and that allergy was inherited by the great-grandmother on the father's side, it's basically very complicated branch on how I inherited my allergy"

"No kidding the allergy heredity is complicated"

"Still it's nice to finally know that I was more likely to get the allergy than it just being random"

"True enough, does the heredity include the severity of said allergy?"

"Um...that we aren't sure about"

"Okay than"

Suddenly Allison's cell rang and when she answered it she received word that no one had ever thought would be received, because due to the SAR mission everyone had been given health checks afterwords just as a precaution, and this health check finally revealed the mystery of why she got fevers occasionally whenever a medical procedure was done, and that included blood draws, but for blood draws it was very mild fevers that went away without any medicine needed in only a couple of hours. What Allison didn't know was that one of the times she got sick in the past the treatment Tonto used saved her life, but unfortunately her body didn't fully recognize the herbs as helpful and as such whenever she needed medical attention her body fought to decide if it was helpful or not and that's where the fevers came into play, because her powers were also slightly involved too which complicated matters slightly as well

(Sighs) "right I need to update medical files, does the EDC have this information?"

"Yes"

"Good, make sure that they get the updated information to the right people just in case I can't do that myself"

"Okay, will do"

Allison hangs up the phone and sees her companion giving her the "I'm ignoring the conversation as best as possible even though I heard almost everything that was said" look that was common in military housing when it was communal on a deployment

"Don't even think about it"

"I'm not, you saw the look on my face, that's because before I joined the Texas Rangers I was legitimately forced to be part of communal living for two years for reasons I'm not getting into. I know better than to ask about what's supposed to be a private conversation due to knowing what it's like when one needs to have a private conversation and yet that's not a possibility for whatever reason"

"Thanks, now then seeing as how I have more time off than normal I'm going to do something I haven't done in a very long time which is simply have some fun for a couple of days"

Three days later and Allison was back on duty, there was still obvious damage but the office was functional again which is all that mattered for most people, those three days Allison spent was primarily with her family ultimately seeing as how she realized she missed them and one of her two native languages

"So, what did you do to enjoy yourselves?"

"Well I did visit a museum and watched a couple of movies, but primarily I was with my family just enjoying speaking one of my two native languages which while I speak of semi-regularly I realized I really missed at the moment"

"By the way, what about that family situation of yours?"

"Oh yeah, they were all found alive, injured but alive, the conference they were supposed to attend was ultimately delayed since they weren't the only ones who were waylaid by Quintessons"

"Are they going to be okay?"

"Yeah, they've been healing since rescue and the leaders at least should be back to full form within a week, a couple of others are already back on duty and one has been medically retired and is back on Cybertron"

"Like that one Cybertronian who was brought here to help him with his own problems where humans help keep him more in the present than in the past?"

"Slightly different situation in that he wasn't mentally affected and the reason he's on Cybertron instead of Earth was his own choice"

"What's wrong with him if you can tell me?"

"That's something I will never be exact on unless I need to be"

An hour later and things were in a different situation, initially it was a bank robbery that they were responding to but suddenly Allison and her fellow officers were in a hostage situation, and after that hour of talking one by one she heard each officer saying that they didn't have a clear shot that would allow them to take the suspect in alive, and that was what was needed this time due to his possible terrorist ties, but then she thought of a way to do so, but she also needed a little bit of time to get into position


	19. Chapter 19

"Can someone keep him occupied for at least two minutes?"

"What for?"

"I think I can get a good shot, but I need at least two minutes to get into position, more if possible would be appreciated though"

"You've got your two minutes Kerenai, don't know if I can do longer though"

"Do your best is all I'm asking for, I'll try and be in position in the two minutes though I promise"

Exactly two minutes later and she actually was in the position she needed, and she let the person know that she was in position

"Good, because I don't know how much longer I can delay"

"No need, by the way alert the medics that their patient will have a puncture wound that they may want to keep the object in for"

"Puncture...are you seriously using an arrow?"

"Yes, and while I am going to be aiming for a non-lethal area you never know considering how much he's moving occasionally, I'm aiming for an arm or leg by the way"

"Got it"

A minute later and Allison lets loose and arrow which hits it's mark, the lower part of the left arm, that wound forced the criminal to drop his weapon and let go of his hostage as well, allowing the officers to go in for the arrest

"Ouch, she's very thorough"

"Indeed she is, that arrow may need to be surgically removed"

Allison had gotten down by that time seeing as how she hadn't been very high, just in a nearby tree

"Good, I was aiming for that to be honest, almost went for the shoulder but realized that if hit wrong he could bleed out so I aimed for a different part of the arm, if I hadn't had such a good shot of the arm I would have taken him out at the knee from behind"

"Which would have definitely required surgery"

"Exactly"

"Okay, you are really vindictive at times aren't you?"

"Sorry, but that's not vindictiveness, it's something else, for me being vindictive would have involved not only surgery, but something else as well which I'm not getting into seeing as how you don't have the clearance needed to talk about what the second half of punishment would have been had I truly been vindictive about this situation this time"

One of the officers was actually in the military as well and had heard of Allison and knew what she was talking about and in private asked the question with just one acronym

"SERE?"

"Not just SERE, Cybertronian SERE, which is worse"

"Ouch...that would be vindictive for you wouldn't it?"

"Oh yeah, especially because I've  _been_  through Cybertronian SERE, five different times already and it's ten times worse than normal SERE"

"How come?"

"Alien enemies, now then you get back to work or I might suggest to your Captain that you guys need some SERE training"

"That's not actually such a bad idea Kerenai, last deployment saw three near captures and two rescues by different units"

"Why hasn't your unit gone through SERE since then?"

"No time, we only just got back two weeks ago"

"That...makes sense, but I'll still see about passing on the word about getting that done soon, maybe even ask my family about Cybertronian SERE training because I saw the video of the captured soldiers and in the background I could have sworn I saw reflections of Cybertronian enemies"

"Okay I'll let my Captain know it's your fault if we get Cybertronian SERE"

"Fine by me, at least this ways I know you have a better chance of survival that ways"

"You really are protective of those you consider yours"

"Get yourself in that situation again and you'll find out how protective I can get"

"No thanks"

"Thought as much, now then I have reports to write, because the paperwork for this incident is going to be epic due to weapon use and injury of the suspect"

"Wait, you didn't use a gun though"

"Still a weapon, thus creating a lot of paperwork which I have to do since I was the one who shot the creep"

"Fine, by the way you may want to contact those people soon seeing as how while we have only been back for two weeks there's the fact that we need that information ASAP seeing as how training is always needed even after very little down time"

"Will do, once paperwork is dealt with"

Ten hours later and Allison's duty day was done, three hours of it was spent doing a whole lot of paperwork in regards to the bank robbery and subsequent bow and arrow use

"Okay, that was a lot of paperwork"

"Yeah well the suspect was wounded so that increases paperwork two fold at the very least"

"The rest of the day was dealing with minor problems somehow"

"Indeed"

"By the way what were you talking about with that one officer?"

"Military issue"

"Got it"

"So seeing as how you're done for the day, get home and take tomorrow off, there's a reason why I said that but unfortunately I can't explain yet"

"Understood Captain"

Once she was gone the Captain clasped their hands together

"Okay guys, there's a reason I want her gone for a whole day, we're making preparations to not only celebrate her birthday, but to also show her that we haven't forgotten the reason we're all here, I'm here because of the Captain falling fatally ill, the rest of you are here because of the fact that her original unit was wiped out, we're holding a combined celebration and memorial, but it's going to take time to set up"

"And the day after tomorrow is the actual anniversary of the attack that wiped out her original Ranger unit too"

"Will she even come in then?"

"Oh yeah, she...she lost her military unit about eight years ago and still reported in the next day and worked with a different unit for the rest of the deployment"

"Okay then, if you're sure"

"I'm sure, I've also invited her friend Dan Reid seeing as how he was there to help in the immediate aftermath while Allison herself healed up"

"That...that's good then"

"But it won't take us all day to prepare"

"Oh yes it will, you'll see why tomorrow why it's going to take all day"

The next day they do indeed see why the Captain said that preparations would take all day, because not only was there a birthday banner there but there were candles also there that needed to be put into certain positions that were significant to Allison, and that was between their normal duties as Texas Rangers

"No wonder you gave her the day off because it did take a really long time to set everything up and not disturb it once it was set up"

"Exactly"

"So tomorrow's the day then huh?"

"Yes, she probably thinks we're forgetting what she's been through recently, but that was all part of the plan seeing as how most  _have_  forgotten, but I read her files and realized that she needed the event to be remembered, even if it's not always recognized"

"But for a one to two year anniversary it really should be recognized"

"Exactly"

"Why didn't you want her to know about this though?"

"To show her that I payed attention to the file and that even if no one else ever remembers we'll do our best to remember her old unit"

"Good, now to lock this up and then get here  _early_  tomorrow because she herself always reports for duty early"

"True enough, we'll have to be here before dawn in all honesty and light the candles when we receive word that she's in the building"

"Especially considering her code of honor in regards to duty"

"Yeah, telling her that she has tomorrow off and not explaining things will mean she gets here even earlier than normal doesn't it?"

"Oh yeah"

"Sleeping here tonight then?"

"Yeah, might as well"

"So...rotation on leaving for necessities?"

"Except for food, five people are going to bring back at least fifteen pizzas and some Chinese food as well since I'm in the mood for Chinese"

"Wait, what about Dan Reid?"

"Oh yeah, best call him and get him here too and explain why we're camping out at headquarters tonight"


	20. Chapter 20

"No wonder you wanted extra food, that guy can pack away"

"He has a reason for being able to, I know everything I am cleared for in regards to Kerenai and her friends for reasons that I can't get into"

"Fine, I'll get him in tonight,  _after_  dinner arrangements are made"

Two hours later and everyone was eating dinner and explaining things to Dan about why they were staying there for the night

"I'm glad you're honoring her loss, we...we nearly lost her, both to infection and mourning, her family fought for three months to bring her out of deep depression because she was depressed while at the same time healing from her wounds"

"We know it may not always be truly recognized but for an anniversary after everything that's happened I felt we should honor her loss physically"

"So...combination of birthday celebration and mourning for her lost unit"

"Yep, now to get some sleep, we'll be woken up in the morning with time to light all these candles"

"Thank you for the candles by the way, at least the arrangement made, it really is significant for reasons that I can't get into"

"I explained that I read her files and know information that I can't reveal"

"Good"

"Well, everyone get out your sleeping blankets or whatever else you have to sleep on, we're going to be up early tomorrow"

"You gave her the day off with no explanations didn't you?"

"Yes I did indeed do that"

"You should have known better Captain"

"Yes I should have, but I wanted to make this a secret"

"Then you should have given a false excuse that would have been believable"

"Maybe, but I wasn't thinking about that"

"No kidding you weren't thinking about that, well like you said we need to get some sleep now so let's get to sleep"

The next day the group was indeed woken up early seeing as how Allison got in early to make up for missing a day of work because of her boss

"Come on we have a lot of candles to light,  _carefully_ "

"No kidding, one wrong move and this place will go up in flames depending on how fast you guys are with a fire extinguisher"

"That's why I emphasized the careful part, now get started or we won't be finished before she gets up here"

"Right"

Fortunately they finished lighting the candles just a minute before Allison got to headquarters, and when she came in her eyes first went to the candles and their particular arrangement and her hand went to her mouth in shock

"This...this is..."

"We haven't forgotten Kerenai, and this is my way of showing that"

"Thank you Captain, I...I didn't think anyone still remembered"

"If they do remember they may not be able to properly acknowledge it but in either case we're acknowledging it this year"

"Thank you again sir"

"And by the way, happy birthday too"

That's when Allison saw the birthday banner and a cake

"Didn't even notice that...Captain, how did you know the formation?"

"Your files, it explained the formation needed for such things"

"Oh...forgot I put that there in case...well you have my notes as to why I put it there"

"Yes, I do know why you put the information there"

"Well, put the candles out for now and then we'll have cake before getting to duty"

That day Allison occasionally separated from the group to do private mourning but for the most part she was completely focused on her job like the Captain knew she would be

"So...not as rough as you expected Captain?"

"Yeah, but I know it was still hard seeing as how it's only been about a year or two since your unit was lost"

"It was hard, but I've been dealing with the grief for a long time"

"Well your shift is over with so get going"

"I'll take the candles if you want seeing as how they were meant for me"

"No I need the candles actually, just deliberately kept putting that off because of your file and my plans that I've had for two months now"

"Oh, didn't know that"

"Yeah, didn't think it was anyone's business what I needed"

"True enough"

"So, going home immediately?"

"Yes everything's fine"

Allison gets home and checks her mail and discovered one with a DVD, when she played it though her temper almost went through the roof due to the fact that an EDC kid, who was deaf, Rumble, and Steeljaw were all being held captive and for Rumble and Steeljaw there were weapons constantly pointed at them, weapons that could kill them, the message basically stated that they would die if Allison didn't let out several terrorists, at first she didn't want to but during a second play through she thought she'd seen something and with the third viewing she knew exactly what she had seen

"Oh...that's slick, that's very slick, okay I'll do what they want seeing as how you want it that ways, I just hope people will give me a chance to explain things when things happen and I am captured"

Because what she had seen was sign language explaining that Rumble and Steeljaw had thought of a plan that involved getting the terrorists captured again and them freed, but seeing as how the enemy would know if they were speaking Cybertronian, even if they wouldn't understand it they had the EDC kid explain everything to Allison seeing as how the enemy didn't recognize sign language as an actual language

"Now just to think of a plan that will actually work without getting everyone killed, except the enemy depending on things...and keep from getting in trouble with the military seeing as how the President doesn't know about this and I'm supposed to report in for training within a week, which is now no longer possible"

Allison thinks for three hours and realizes that she had to explain things to the President to keep from getting into trouble, fortunately he understood the thinking behind keeping secrets, as for the rest she did a check (which only she could do as the legally adopted daughter of the Cybertronians) to see where the terrorists were and realized that with them being in a military prison the escape would be complicated, but doable with careful timing

"Okay, plan B is simply create a lot of chaos and hope all of them make it out alive, plan A is to slip in middle of the night and make a jail break, while letting POTUS know what's going on so that if needed he can pardon me or do something similar which means I'm not in trouble, either for missing training or for being the reason behind the prisoner escape, that's in the plans either way"

Three days later and Allison was ready to create a jail break. The plan actually went through without any problems and Allison deliberately stayed with the terrorists for two weeks seeing as how two had already been injured in prison and as such they couldn't lead Allison to where the EDC kid and two members of her family were being held captive, during that time she saw that the jail break was on the news and that she was wanted seeing as how she had deliberately let herself be seen by security footage, at least well enough to be possibly, if not definitely recognized by the footage itself. Once they were healed enough she left the group so as to eventually follow them and let her family know the location because she knew she couldn't free the captives herself, not with how things had been going ever since first contact

"I can't  _wait_  until this whole mess is over with because quite frankly I am hating being a criminal when I'm not actually one, besides these guys really need to be behind bars"

It would ultimately take another two months before she could finally find the hideout and let her family know the location so that they could free the three captives, but finally the (pseudo) self assigned mission was over with which meant she could finally go home, but first she had to see the President because her family had told her that he'd been wanting to see her for months now, ever since he had received her message, but he also knew that he would have to wait until the captives were freed because that was more important in both their minds. He had also of his own volition, and against Allison's request wrote out secret orders and backdated said orders for the day she had received the message seeing as how the letter had actually been delayed three days and he found out just hours before Allison had managed the jail break, and made sure that they remained secret and active until he knew that the mission was over with and he stood her down himself in person, which is why he needed to see her so that he could officially stand her down from her mission

"Look, I know you want to arrest Kerenai immediately, but I actually want her brought to me when you see her at the gates"

"But sir she..."

"That's an order, I have my reasons for this agent"

"Yes sir"

Finally Allison was in the oval office

"You wished to see me sir?"

"Yes Kerenai I did, I know what you did, I know the letter you sent as well, I found out just hours before the jail break what you were doing. I am now giving you a direct order Lt. to stand down from your mission which I backdated to when I knew when you received the message, it's been secret but we can finally reveal your mission, but first I really, really need you to stand down"

It was almost like an invisible string of tension had been released as soon as she heard her commander-in-chief's orders and she literally sank to her knees and broke down into silent tears with the order letting her know that everything was truly over with in regards to her mission

"We'll reveal things in a couple of days, for now though you need time to decompress and readjust to a normal world"

"Right...did the guards tell you about the note I left in the wardens office?"

"He told me, he didn't understand the meaning behind the note but he told me about it"

"Yeah...I was trying to be as vague as possible while apologizing about my actions, I'm not entirely sure how well that worked by the way"

"It didn't, he was hopping mad at you for a whole week until I could talk to him, and told him that if it was you you wouldn't be found if you didn't want to and as such to just leave the hunt to people more experienced, while I myself gave them what false leads I could until I found out about the rescue"

"I feared as much but I had to do my best"

"I know, now then for now you can stay here, I do believe you're dealing with an adrenaline crash"

"Probably, to be honest I think I've practically lived off of adrenaline at times during the mission, including now I think due to the fact that this mission was stressful"

"I don't doubt it"

And suddenly as proof of what the President suspected and Allison confirmed she simply passed out from a combination of exhaustion and adrenaline crash

"Well that settles that, she's staying right here until further notice, meetings can take place in another area that's secure"

When an agent came in ten minutes later he glares at Allison but doesn't dare move her knowing that could get him in trouble, though he does insist on trying to give her a pillow and blanket which utterly failed because of her instincts even in sleep

"Next time don't try doing anything with her"

"Right, sir..."

"I will explain everything later I promise, right now she really desperately needs sleep"

"Fine sir, I hope you know what you're doing"

"I do indeed know what I'm doing, don't worry"

"Understood sir, but I really wish you would allow us to guard the traitor"

"Like I said I will explain everything soon"

"Very well sir, just know that I am the representative speaker saying that everyone protests this move that you've done"

"I understand, now then get going, we'll just let her wake up on her own"

"When will that be sir?"

"I have absolutely no idea, she's dealing with a combination of exhaustion and adrenaline crash"

"Which means she could wake up in two hours or not until tomorrow"

"Exactly"

Ultimately Allison slept for three straight days, only half awake twice to deal with physical needs that couldn't be ignored, and it was obvious she was practically sleep walking because she never answered anyone when asked except once and that was because the person asked if she was okay after bumping into an opened door. Finally though she was actually coherent and truly awake and the President immediately saw her in his office

"So, you finally able to handle a press conference?"

"I honestly don't know sir, I was unconscious the entire time the mission has been over with"

"True enough, but can I at least tell the Secret Service seeing as how you're constantly being glared at and called a traitor?"

"Why haven't you done that before?"

"Wanted your permission, because even though I'm the President and backdated my secret orders I felt it was best to have your permission to reveal the truth behind your actions to my security detail before the rest of the world finds out the truth about you"

"Okay...tell those who have clearance about the truth, wait a few more days until the rest of the world finds out, that includes Dan, and John if they're not cleared automatically"

"Oh they're cleared because of the level of association they have with your family, I'm surprised you didn't ask about Tonto being cleared"

"Being in my unit he's automatically cleared"

"True enough, though not every military unit is cleared"

"True, but my unit has to be cleared for reasons that you're already aware of, at least to a certain point"

"Right, by the way to back up my word I've given you a pardon for your actions and also given formal permission to have missed three months of training"

"Didn't ask for that but thanks"

"Figured it was best to cover our basis just in case"

"Well, I had my reasons behind not asking for a pardon but you're the President and can make decisions as you feel best so you have your reasons and I have mine...I'll just relax for a few more days before I come back for the press conference"

"Okay, I can give you that since you were asleep for so long except for your basic needs, though you did respond to someone asking if you were okay after bumping into a door"

"Don't remember that"

"You were practically sleepwalking you were so tired"

"Forgot to warn you about that part"

"So it's well known to your family?"

"Yes, just never thought to mention it since we try to avoid that happening"

"Okay but still, you should have thought about it considering what you've been through recently"

"True enough, guess I was so tired I never thought about the fact that I would need to warn you guys about my exhausted sleepwalking"

"Does it happen every time you're exhausted?"

"Not quite every time but near enough anyways"

"Does the hospital know about this?"

"No, but the thing about the hospital is that I'm never well enough to do so, either that or I'm sedated and tied down, not the greatest policy I'll admit, at least with me but it's the best they've got and once I'm in the present I don't fight them any further"

"Well, you're free to go, do you have a place to stay until after the press conference?"

"Yes I have a place"

"The EDC base?"

"Yep, it's the only place I can go until the truth is known in all honesty"

"Yeah, should have thought about that"

"Even if this mission hadn't happened if I am away from Dallas I tend to stay at a base to keep down costs, unless it's for work of some sort and they're paying for the hotel"

"Oh, didn't know that"

"Sir they're my family, since when would I not want to stay with them?"

"Yeah...I tend to forget that part seeing as how I don't often hear your other name"

"And while you're cleared for it and need to know it's not something that affects you often so it's more in the back of your mind than anything else"

"Exactly"

"Can you come with me so that I can get out safely?"

"Sure"

Soon enough Allison was at the base and welcomed with warm arms seeing as how the EDC had been informed about her mission as soon as Allison realized it was needed

"So when's the press conference?"

"Not sure really, but soon enough I know that much"

"Giving you a few days to decompress and get back into semi-normal life?"

"Yes, considering I was basically asleep for three days straight it's needed"

"Sleepwalked?"

"Sleepwalked"

"Which means exhaustion and adrenaline crash for you"

"Exactly, actually bumped into a door and answered the person who asked about my welfare but I don't remember the incident at all, just like every other time something like that happens"

"Still I bet you're relieved that you have fever answers"

"Yes I am, though I doubt we'll ever know about my sleepwalking habit since that's been going on since before I wound up in the past for five years"

"Ever since you were four years old"

"For now though you need a place to stay and decided to stay with family which is understandable, however be warned that Kup is going to grill you about your actions seeing as how Red Alert is on Cybertron right now, oh, and Rodimus might join in"

"Where's Optimus and Galvatron?"

"Russia and Japan respectively for functions"

"Right"

"Hey they were going to invite you for the Russian function but you just  _had_  to be the one to get the hostage video and then make the decision to do everything almost completely by yourself"

"Not my fault I got the message"

"I know, but everything after certainly is your fault"

"Not when if not for my access and knowledge of ASL people could have died"

"You just have to win a lot of arguments with reason don't you?"

"Hey, when I'm right, I'm right"

"So once the announcement is made you're back to work?"

"Yes, hopefully without too many repercussions because of my decision"

"If nothing else the President will make sure of that"

"I know, he's already officially given me a pardon and backdated secret orders for the day I found out"

"News will announce that?"

"Yes it will"

"Good, that will help with repercussions if there are any"

"For now I'm hiding out since not everyone will learn the truth until then, the Secret Service and military will definitely learn, my Ranger unit might as well but that's it basically"

"What about Dan and John?"

"They'll also find out too because they're also cleared due to the fact that they have that connection to the family"

"Right, so the President will let you know when the press conference is and you need a place to stay until then"

"I need the decompress time"

"You've been undercover for too long haven't you?"

"I told you I was unconscious for three days because of exhaustion and adrenaline"

"Yes you did, but that doesn't mean you've been undercover for too long, needing decompression time is"

"Yeah, guess you're right"

"How bad?"

"Couldn't get away for two weeks and then trailed them and hid amongst them the rest of the time while making plans to free the three"

"Yeah it's been too long with no preparations or backup"

"Well, at least I can decompress now"

"Do it, we'll have a disguise ready for you until the press conference so that you can go outside the base and enjoy the sights like any other ordinary person"

"Thanks, didn't think about doing something like that because it's been so long since I've been in normal crowds"

"Figured as much"

A week later the President was finally ready for the press conference


	21. Chapter 21

"So ready to get back to your job?"

"Yes, it's been a long time and I really want to get back, I've needed it to be honest"

"I'm sure you have"

"Well you need to get going if you're going to get through White House security"

"Right"

Six hours later and the press conference was finally over with and Allison was able to return to the Texas Rangers in two days seeing as how it was Friday when the press conference happened. Allison had also learned that her family had kept up on the rent during her absence so she still had her old place when she finally returned home. After the conference she got a call from her Texas Ranger Captain saying that she was to report in first thing on Monday and talk to him privately for some unique orders, her military Captain had also called and said that she was on KP duty until further notice during the once a month training because while he did understand her motives and understood that the President had excused her she was still in trouble with him in regards to keeping everything a secret despite having the right clearance to know about the mission from the start. Basically her military Captain wasn't happy with her going behind his back after making her promise not to do any dangerous rescue missions on her own, especially when it involved terrorists and while he couldn't officially punish her he could make her life miserable and force her to do KP as a lesson to talk if needed, even if they can't actually do anything he wanted to know what she was up to just in case he  _could_  help, the only thing she was excused from in regards to KP duty was onions because while her anaphylactic reaction was just ingesting the onion she did have an allergic reaction to smelling the onion as well, aka she was a sneezing mess if she smelled the onion uncooked

"I understand sir"

"Good"

"Though I am wondering how you can have two different reactions to the same allergen"

"We have absolutely no idea, we think it's related to the fact that the allergy is hereditary but that's just speculation on my family's part, we may never actually have an answer to that question"

"Understood"

"Well see you when it's training time"

"See you then"

Monday saw Allison back in Ranger HQ for the first time in a while and in front of the Captain

"Um...how much trouble am I in despite the Presidential pardon?"

"Not as much as before since we know the truth, military give you unofficial punishment?"

"Yes"

"My unofficial punishment is double shifts for a month, and I want a detailed report about your mission that you've been doing for the entire time you've been gone"

"Understood sir, that what I'm to work on this morning?"

"All shift if it takes you, I'll make sure that you don't get any call outs today"

"Right"

Ultimately Allison did have to take all shift to make the detailed report because while she didn't have any call outs there were plenty of other interruptions including a medical emergency, she also couldn't continue twice at two very rough points in the report, she needed to compose herself for a good five minutes each time before continuing, but finally her report was finished and in her Captain's hands

"Here you are sir, my complete report of the last two and a half months or so, starting from when I received the message after work to the day of the rescue"

"Thank you for this report, I know you probably shouldn't have been forced into something like this, but I'm glad you were prepared for such a situation, I probably shouldn't have forced a report on you seeing as how the President would want one but...considering what happened a month after you just simply disappeared I figured it best that I at least have a complete report on your actions these past few months just in case you have flashbacks or other actions in regards to your most recent secret mission"

"Orders are orders, and I understand the safety aspect as well, I just wish this mission hadn't been necessary in the first place, even if it was backdated to the day I started it was still an official mission once the President received my letter"

The fact that she was talking in a monotone voice wasn't completely lost on the Captain, but the meaning behind it was, he didn't realize just how dangerous things were with Allison at the moment, sitting down heavily was a sign that something was wrong yes, however a monotone voice was even more dangerous because it meant she was just one step away from one of two different mental breakdowns, the one breakdown was simple and easy to handle in that her facade broke and she let loose all the emotions she had kept bottled up during the entire mission, the other mental breakdown was more dangerous because one more word about the mission and she would snap and hurt anyone and everyone who got close to her while yelling things that quite frankly shouldn't be said depending on if it was a secret mission or not. The time spent decompressing in the capitol had helped her come to terms with the fact that she was no longer deep undercover and back in the normal world not having to worry about three lives, two of which she cared deeply about and one which she was protective of simply by the fact that they were a fellow EDC kid but she knew it would be a while yet before everything was truly integrated into her mind and she had fully processed everything regarding her thoughts and emotions about the mission, and in a way her Captain had realized that too, in a very small way maybe but it was a realization he'd made

"You have a week off once you get in a little bit of work with the unit again, they need to work with you Kerenai, they practically begged me of that when the truth was finally known"

"Understood sir"

"Kerenai...if you need to just tell me you need off and you'll get the time you request, you've earned it in all honesty, twice over"

"I don't think it's needed, but if I need it I'll let you know"

"Okay, we'll give them a week with you and go from there"

"Yes sir, anything else?"

"Your apartment, the rent's been paid as have the other bills but you need food"

"I knew that from the beginning sir"

"Well I just lied, we got your groceries yesterday"

"What...sir..."

"There's a letter that will explain everything in detail, but we felt buying your groceries was just a small repayment for your duty all this time"

"Repayment I never asked for"

"Like I said there's a letter that will explain everything in detail but...let's just say we did something before the truth was known that we feel guilty about now"

"I don't think I'm going to like the reason"

"You won't, but it's over and done with now and consequences already meted out okay?"

"Fine, I'll read the letter"

She gets home and does indeed read the letter which explains everything they had done in retaliation of what Allison had done, primarily tried to get Allison to lose her apartment despite her family paying all the bills, though the incident in question that her Captain was talking about was sabotaging the most recent electric payment combined with part of the rent, they ultimately failed but they almost succeeded that time. But they had also tried to get onto the EDC base and introduce non lethal poison into the food, primarily because the poison in question was primarily laxatives, though a few were a poison that mimicked food poisoning for twenty-five hours before letting up

"They're lucky things didn't go worse, though I will have to get my family's report on the incident to find out just how bad it got for them, but still they should have trusted me and my family further"

A month later and Allison was given two weeks to finish processing everything that had happened to her during her secret mission and had gotten the report from her family about the incident that her Captain had referred to after she handed in her report to him

"So gave her two weeks to integrate everything huh?"

"I realized that she needed it after that incident right before I gave her the time off, she's tired mentally, physically, and emotionally in regards to her secret mission, that combined with needing to finish the integration process influenced my decision on how long she would have the break"

"What I'm wondering is why it took so long in the first place to give her the vacation"

"Various things to be honest"

"So...what now?"

"Now we simply let her have the two weeks and go from there"

"Sir, are we going to lose Kerenai?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Her actions these past few weeks ever since she got back"

"I see, I don't think we are but I can see where you're going considering just how distant she's been"

"Exactly"

"However, that distance is one of her coping methods, but not for a reason you might normally think it is, it's a coping method to keep everyone safe from her if she's accidentally triggered because some of her flashbacks can be...physical as you might recall"

"So you're sure she'll come back after the two weeks?"

"Yes, I may be newer than you in the unit but I have her full file so I understand her in a way most won't"

"Sir there is a different concern regarding Kerenai as well"

"What's the concern?"

"Her health, she seemed to be hiding an injury her last day of work"

"Oh that incident, it's not her hiding an injury per se, it's a flare up of an old injury that doesn't normally bother her but occasionally there's a reminder that she was injured a while back and needed surgery for said injury, happened during military duty so while I don't know the full story I know enough to know it was pretty serious and we could have lost her to medical retirement"

"Do you know how to get in contact with her if needed by the way?"

"Yes, I know where she is and how to get in contact with her seeing as how she deliberately always leaves her cell phone behind when going to that particular location"

"Why does she do that?"

"Something about avoiding distractions"

"Still I have a sense of unease, like something's wrong, now that I know about the injury flare up I'm not too worried about that, but there's just something about this whole two weeks that I'm not liking"

"Don't make anything of it until after the two weeks, if she doesn't report in, or we receive any word about her before then, than you can worry"

"Understood sir, don't like it but I will obey orders"

"Good"

Two weeks later and Allison was back on duty

"Welcome back Kerenai, you seem more together now"

"Thanks for the time off Captain, though honestly you almost lost me at my hiding spot"

"I heard about that near miss, you sure everything is okay?"

"Medically cleared sir I'm good to go"

"Very well then, you're working with another Ranger who got a case yesterday, as such you have catch up to play with"

"Understood sir"

She got caught up on the case and actually helped break it wide open two days later, and within three weeks there was a trial and conviction

"You know I was uneasy during your entire vacation for reasons I can't explain"

"I heard, you thought I wasn't coming back"

"Correct, I also thought you were hiding an injury but was corrected on that misconception"

"Good, I don't try and hide injuries I incurre in military duty but since they're always treated immediately I don't think to mention them when I get back to normal duty as a Texas Ranger"

"Oh, didn't know that"

"I know"

"Um, Kerenai is it just me or are we being followed?"

Allison looks in the rear-view mirror and quickly ascertained the same thing due to using evasive maneuvers and the car copied their every move

"Right, I'm taking us to a place that will limit damage if it comes down to a fight"

She leads them into an abandoned area but as soon as she got a clear view of their follower she completely relaxed

"Everything's fine, it's a family member"

The car stopped and then transformed into Punch

"Hey Punch, what's up?"

"Message for you Allison, you're needed for some sort of military conference on Cybertron"

"How big was the phone tree this time?"

"Twenty different people, human and Cybertronian this time"

"Ouch, I'm surprised the general message was still intact"

"Yeah, that is surprising all things considered"

"Why was the phone tree even needed in the first place?"

"Blackout conditions Ally, don't ask why since that's unfortunately classified even from you, but only because you'll be hearing about it from the military soon enough as a reserve"

"Oh, normal military before the reserves for some reason"

"Exactly"

"Though I get the feeling it's more complicated than that but for now that explanation will work"

"Yes it's more complicated, and if not for the fact that the military is getting clearance we would either be fighting to allow Allison to know or she would fall under different rules and be allowed to know without a fight but with clear orders not to tell anyone else what was going on, but since the military is getting clearance albeit a little slowly that doesn't come into play"

"That's complicated in my mind"

"It is, at least for Kerenai, but the other thing you have to remember is that she's our adopted daughter and if need be one of our leaders so there are times that she  _has_  to know things"

"Are there other rules besides the adoption that would come into play?"

"Yes there are, but unfortunately I can't get into those"

"Well for now we need to get back to the station, and Kerenai I'm driving"

"Fine, I know my driving can get insane depending on several factors"

"And that's exactly why I'm taking over"

Allison hands over the keys and the two get back to the station with a Captain in the main area with his arms folded once they were back

"Um...hey Captain"

"You're late, and what's with the report that you used sirens without need?"

"Sorry, but we were being tailed and I deemed it better to get out of the area fast"

"Are you two okay?"

"Turned out to be a family member called Punch letting me know something in person"

"Why didn't they call you?"

"That I can't tell you for security reasons"

"Understood"

"I'll have a report ready within an hour"

"Good, at least I know you didn't break the rules considering how the rules changed about ten years ago"

"There's a reason those changes were made...a very costly reason, if those officers were allowed to do what I had been able to do they...well they would either be alive today or it wouldn't have been as costly as it ultimately was"

"Kerenai, you have to let the past go, you almost died last time you had a severe loss, you admitted it a while back, and that was when you lost your unit about two years ago"

"You don't simply get over it Captain, it may be harder for you to understand since you're simply a police officer but I have losses both in the police world and the military world, I have PTSD and you know it, as such I know that you never forget, never, and even if you heal there's always scars and while you have more good days than bad there are times when something will trigger the loss and bring up those emotions all over again, I fought six months for the rules I helped implement and used today, that brought up memories seeing as how I was completely ready to shoot my own family member until he was close enough to be recognized by me"

"Well for now you have that report and then you both are finished for the day"

"Yes sir"


	22. Chapter 22

Once the report was finished Allison went to her apartment and then made a phone call completely in Russian so as to hopefully keep the conversation at least partially secret because she was planning a surprise for someone and she didn't want that person to find out until it was time to spring the surprise on them

*Okay see you then*

Once the phone call had ended she simply spent the rest of the time doing a bit of catch up on some household chores, however during the cleaning she grabbed her right shoulder in pain and soon afterwords took over the counter pain medicine because Allison hadn't been kidding when she'd told her Captain that they'd almost lost her, she had been injured by the accident and while she had been medically cleared that was only because of the fact that her shoulder had been popped back into place without surgery and kept in a sling until the day she reported back in, unfortunately it was now looking like surgery was indeed needed because her shoulder was constantly causing her pain during the three weeks she had returned to duty

"I need to make my decision soon, maybe even be forced to...well I won't think of that for now"

What Allison was thinking of was faking her death and joining the EDC first under an assumed name, but those decisions would wait until she knew if she needed surgery or not and also the chances of her returning to duty in a timely fashion. She finished her work for the day and slept knowing that she had a day off that had been planned for a while since John, Tonto and Dan were all going to be in one area for the first time in a while to celebrate something very special to all of them, something they hadn't done together in years because of scheduling conflicts but this time could due to everything coming into place for whatever weird reason

"Well time for sleep because tomorrow's important for reasons that most at work won't understand"

The next day the four friends met at a restaurant and ordered the closest thing to alcohol they would ever buy, a combination of root beer and sparkling grape juice which was an oft used substitute to wine, though they knew that there was non-alcoholic champagne they had tried that once before and all had hated it and agreed never again. Once the mixture was complete they raised their glasses and Allison said the reason that they were even there in the first place

"To Arizona Lawson, the best friend you guys could have ever had out there"

"To Arizona"

They clink their glasses and then down the mixture, because they were celebrating and yet also remembering Arizona since it was his birthday, two weeks before his actual death, they would have normally done this on the death anniversary but they hadn't been able to do anything for Arizona together for so long that they decided to celebrate his birthday instead

"I miss him"

"I know you do John, he was a big help to you guys on occasion, and to me as well whenever we teamed up without you"

"He mentioned that whenever we met and you weren't there"

Tonto however started to not pay close attention to the conversation, however that was because as the only person who worked closely with Allison, even if it was just once a month he could tell the subtle differences between normal Allison and an Allison that was hiding something, and as she kept moving he realized that it was her shoulder, but he decided not to confront her yet mainly because he knew that if Allison was aware of the injury she herself would be taking action soon enough

"So, see the sights?"

"Sure"

The next day Allison requested to be allowed off early and in private told the Captain that she had made an emergency doctors appointment at the EDC base because of her shoulder

"Which means we could lose you"

"Yeah, but that all depends on the appointment results"

Three months later and Allison was back on light duty, it turned out that she hadn't needed surgery, at least not major surgery, instead they did need to do a minor repair on some muscles that hadn't properly healed from the separation but otherwise she was actually not as hurt as she'd thought, the main problem was that whenever the torn muscles had moved it moved the shoulder socket in a way that caused pain every time

"So finally cleared for light duty"

"Yep, the military wasn't too happy about the need for surgery but they didn't fight it either, and quite frankly no one even knew that surgery was needed until that day because the injury is one which hides until hiding no longer can happen I could have gone years without knowing about the injury if not for my two different jobs"

"So it would have happened eventually"

"Exactly, best get surgery done now instead of later when it could have been more serious procedures needed"

"Well, you're on desk duty for the most part still, but you're allowed to go to crime scenes again after the fact, or check back on witness statements depending on things"

"Works for me"

"Speaking of which actually, John, Dan and Tonto are all here for a court case"

"Okay they didn't tell me about this"

"That's because they themselves weren't even sure if they were going to be called in as witnesses until last week, and they've been kept hidden and out of communication since they found out"

"Oh, that makes sense then"

Unfortunately the case would never be completed in court because on the second day of a recess that was forced due to the suspect suddenly having a medical emergency in the court house (he'd had a seizure for the first time in his life after being introduced to a known allergen) they had bigger problems to worry about, an invasion. The four had been going back to the courthouse to check on the status of the case just in case they could go back into court the next day when suddenly the city was under attack and they quickly got themselves into, they did a quick check and saw a store

"Into the building!"

They quickly got inside and Allison surprised them by bringing out a device from her pack and hooks it into the telephone system, and then surprises them further by acting as if the phone system was connected to a telegraph line

_Message_

\- - / - ... . / .-. .-. . ... .. -.. . -. - / - ..-. / - ... . / ..- -. .. - . -.. / ... - .- - . ... .-.-.- / -.. .- .-.. .-.. .- ... / ..- -. -.. . .-. / ... .. . -. . .-.-.- / .. - - . -.. .. .- - . .-.. -.- / ... .- .. - -.-. ... / - - / ... . -.-. - -. -.. .- .-. -.- / -.-. - - - ..- -. .. -.-. .- - .. - -. / ... -.- ... - . - / -.. ..- . / - - / ... .- -.-. -.- .-.-.- / .- .. .-.. .-.. / . -..- .-. .-.. .- .. -. / .. -. / .-. . .-. ... - -. .-.-.- / .- .. .-.. .-.. / .- .-.. ... - / -... . / .. -. / -.. .. ... -. ..- .. ... . / - -. -.-. . / .- -... .-.. . / - - / -. . - / - ... . .-. . .-.-.- / .- .-.. . .-. - / - .. .-.. .. - .- .-. -.- / -... .- ... . ... / -... . ..-. - .-. . / ... .- .. - -.-. ... .. -. -. .-.-.- / ... .. -. -. . -.. / .- .-.. .-.. .. ... - -. / - ..-. / -.-. -.- -... . .-. - .-. - -.

*To the President of the United States. Dallas under siege. immediately switch to secondary communication system due to hack. will explain in person. will also be in disguise once able to get there. alert military bases before switching. signed Allison of Cybertron*

_End message_

When the President got the message he knew of at least two civilians, one who was a police officer admittedly who would understand the message, he also started getting things ready for the telephone lines to become tele _graph_  lines

"I am so glad things are already set up or this would get complicated"

While that was going on Dan, John and Tonto were looking at Allison clearly asking for an explanation

"Okay so...when I got back from your original time period I sort of did a thing, that thing led ultimately to a system where the telephone lines become telegraph lines once more, spoken or otherwise everything sent over the lines is in Morse code, all homes have a translator system should that ever happen. It's a bit more complicated that involves laws and whatnot, including how I made the discovery that such a thing could even be done, but that's the basics of why I did what I did just now"

"That's a telegraph key isn't it?"

"Not quite Dan, it's a bit different from a telegraph key but it works the same, I tap on it in Morse code and the line sends the message to my location"

"Well for now we need to get to D.C"

"Yes we do, everyone will have to be disguised though"

"My mask will work"


	23. Chapter 23

"Sorry John, but with these guys we want the Lone Ranger identity to be kept secret unless we have no other choice, basically the Lone Ranger is going to be our ace in the hole, Tonto here's going to be the hardest to disguise but we'll figure something out"

"EDC base for disguise?"

"Not much choice unfortunately"

"Actually...there might be"

"Kerenai?"

"My family thought of multiple contingencies, unfortunately the problem is that the contingencies are only explained at need to any and all EDC officers, even me as a leader at need hasn't been told, the Primes and Galvatron actually asked me if I wanted to know just in case and I declined them"

"Which still means the EDC base"

"Nope, because I know how we can find out without going to the base"

"How so?"

"That's complicated but doable"

"How complicated are you talking about?"

"You don't want to know, trust me on that one"

"Except we have no choice but to know"

"Yeah that's so"

"So what's the plan to figure out the contingency that we need?"

"Don't worry that I can handle without getting any where's near the base"

"You sure about that?"

"Yes, I'm sure"

"What's the plan to do so?"

"It involves the bow and arrow and a secondary location that you were never told about since you're not actually EDC officers, however as the legally adopted daughter of the Cybertronians I have to know about every primary and secondary location and bases in case of just this exact scenario, even if it's only for a brief period of time I'm ever at a secondary location, only this time this secondary location is more of a drop location just like spies would use, I drop a message in a specific location, in code of course, and in a different location a reply is given, though in this case it would more likely be the supplies we need for disguises, or further instructions to a different base that will allow us to apply disguises. We won't know until the second message though"

"So, today you send the first message and tomorrow you get the reply?"

"Nope, today I send the first message and three days from now I get the reply"

"Why the wait?"

"It's complicated, but it boils down to a safety measure"

"Where will we stay in the meantime?"

"Now  _that_  I can handle, there's an emergency safe house that I have access to, anyone with me gains temporary access but it's meant for me and only me if I am ever in danger because of my family. My family created it when I was five years old and almost got abducted for ransom, that day my family vowed I would never be in such danger again since they'd had reports saying that such a thing might happen and as such they created the safe house for my safety, if I am at risk of being abducted, or there's some other trouble because of my family I can always go to the safe house which is shielded in a way that prevents discovery from any aliens and humans"

"Did you give the President a date you would arrive?"

"Nope, just said I would be in disguise"

"And as such it could be a while before you get there"

"Exactly, he knows Dallas is under siege and as such he knows I will be very slow and cautious when getting to him"

"How fast would they take over the country?"

"Couple of months, military and EDC will help establish an underground resistance, which won't actually be underground, once things really get started but in the meantime it's just telegraph line communication, mainly using Morse code"

"Which would slow them down"

"Exactly"

"For now though we need to get to the safe house once you send the message"

"Right, I need a piece of paper though first"

They quickly got a piece of paper and once the message was written Allison wrapped the paper around the shaft and tied it down

"See you in ten guys, we're not far from the location"

"Right"

Allison gets to the right location to shoot the arrow and she easily gets the arrow at least half way into a tree and then easily gets back to the group

"Okay, time to get to the safe house"

"Right, let's get going"

They get to the location and Allison had to be the one to open the first door since it was a three door layer, the first door only opened to her until any guests were keyed into the security system, the second door was what keyed the guests after she told the computer how many guests there were going to be and then the final door any of them could open as long as they were keyed into the system, there was also a blood prick every time which took the DNA of the people just in case the first two doors were hacked somehow, and Allison forced all of them to get the DNA prick

"Last line of defense, as soon as I set the computer on reset everyone's DNA but mine is deleted, but no DNA match means you're not getting in since if this place ever is discovered the first two doors  _can_  be hacked, it's hard to do so but it's doable, had to test it twice myself after near scares each time"

"I don't think we want to know the situation behind those hacks"

"You don't, this was before you were awake by the way so that's why you may not exactly know the reasons behind me even needing the safe house in the first place"

"We have read up on history but yeah EDC history before we woke up is...vague at times to say the least, though the civil war was definitely well covered"

"Okay, so basic gist of the two problems was that my family received word that two different potential enemies were on the way for apparent peace talks, I say potential because we weren't exactly enemies but we weren't friends either, unfortunately for us Dallas was having electrical problems both times which messed with the security system with the safe house, the DNA security wasn't messed with but the hand printing system was, and as such I had to hack my way into my own safe house, we're lucky this place is remote enough that I wasn't discovered hacking the system, but not so remote that if I absolutely have to reveal the location it can't be found in enough time to get help"

"Okay, how are we on supplies?"

"Keep it stocked regularly, six months worth of water in jugs if that ever fails and two years worth of MRE's for food, we can basically hide out for a long time before needing to leave for any sort of supplies"

"Does that include medical supplies?"

"Oh yeah"

"Well, fortunately we won't be here for very long so we won't have to test the system"

"True enough, now then there are EDC safe houses across the country just in case we actually can't get to the capitol and need to hide, they're not set up like this one in security but they are very much the same in regards to supplies, however all EDC safe houses not like this one still need approval by either an EDC officer or me"

Meanwhile an EDC officer on special patrol had gone to all the drop box points for any hints of a message from Allison since she hadn't been seen at the base since the attack and saw the arrow in the tree and also the tied message on the shaft and quickly got it to base, giving it to Captain Faireborn who quickly enlarged the piece of paper and then gave the paper to Prowl who was in charge of the base at the moment who saw that the message was in Morse code which all of them knew by the Primes and Galvatron's insistence

_Message_

.- - ... -. -..- / -.. .- -. -..- / - - -. - - / .- -. -.. / .. / .- .-. . / ... .- ..-. . .-.-.- / -. . . -.. / .. -. ... - .-. ..- -.-. - .. - -. ... / - .-. / - . .- -. ... / - ..-. / - .- -.- .. -. -. / -.. .. ... -. ..- .. ... . ... .-.-.- / -. . . -.. / - - / -.- -. - .- / .. ..-. / -. . . -.. / - - / -... . / .- - / ... . -.-. - -. -.. / -... .- ... . / ..-. - .-. /-.. .. … -. ..- .. ... . / .- ... / .- . .-.. .-.. .-.-.- / .- .. .-.. .-.. / .. -. ... .. ... - / - -. / .-.. . .- .-. -. .. -. -. / -.-. - -. - .. -. -. . -. -.-. .. . ... / .- ..-. - . .-. / ... .. - ..- .- - .. - -. / .. ... / - ...- . .-. .-.-.- / -.. .. ... -. ..- .. ... . / -. . . -.. . -.. / - - / ... . . / .-. - - ..- ... / -... -.- / - ... . / .- .- -.-

*John, Dan, Tonto and I are safe. need instructions or means of making disguises. need to know if need to be at second base for disguise as well. will insist on learning contingencies after situation is over. disguise needed to see POTUS by the way*

_End message_

Once he finished reading the message he called Faireborn and two other officers to the office

"You asked to see us?"

"Yes, we need to make a decision, either send supplies for disguises to the drop site meant for where the message I just came from, or give Allison some contingency plans that she needs to make plans"

"I say the disguise, this ways she can get out of the state if she needs to, or if she is captured she isn't linked to us as quickly"

"Okay, then three days from now she'll have the supplies needed for four disguises"

"And false identities, that's needed as well for safety reasons"

"Right"

Three days later and Allison had received her answer in three boxes of supplies meant specifically for creating disguises and false identities, as well as John's Lone Ranger equipment, he himself kept the papers that identified him as the Lone Ranger and on the side of the law, actually an agent for the federal government, but the clothes and guns were kept with the EDC when not used by John

"Okay, so they sent supplies for us to create disguises and false identities which should get us to Washington D.C. which is what's needed right now"

"Okay, that will only take a few hours at most"

Soon enough and the group was ready to leave the safe house and head to the nation's capitol

"So Washington"

"Washington, we're going to have to use various methods to get there, horses, planes, trains, cars, walking, we'll do it all, and some of it not exactly legally either"

"Transport jumping?"

"If you're saying that in the way I'm thinking you are than not quite, we'll sneak onto freight trains in the night, as for horses we'll leave money with the owners with a note saying that if we need to pay more for rent we will when we next get in contact with them, making sure that they always find their way home somehow, otherwise the EDC has places for cars as well that's free for all EDC officers and their family's in this situation, might even have a family member on occasion"

"Very well, where do we start?"

"Freight train going to Houston, from there we'll switch to either a plane or car"

"Nope walking for a bit"

"John?"

"I have my reasons, you'll understand when we get off the train"

When they did get off the train it was about 50 miles from Houston and that's when they found out why John insisted on walking, because he'd felt that they were being watched before reaching the safe house and that they would be watched once more when they were once again visible. Hopefully the people tracking them would head to Houston while they themselves would go to a farm he knew and leave the state from there on horse back, but they would still walk, slightly away from Houston for three days

"So, should we report our status occasionally?"

"Have no choice actually, Tonto and I are still soldiers and while the unit would have been informed of our situation the President needs to know we're still alive occasionally and confirm our orders to report to him in person to help give him intel"

"But we'll be behind on the intel"

"No we won't, I have my ways of keeping up to date, especially if it turns out that they expand from just Texas"

"Okay, oh and we won't have to make any rental payments for horses this time around, and I know the stable to leave them at for them to get home"

"How did you finagle that?"

"Oh that's easy actually, during my most recent Lone Ranger assignment I was wounded and wound up at the farm, they took care of Silver and me at the same time, when I tried to pay for treatment they said that if I ever needed help or horses to go to them, and asked to be considered unofficial government contractors, I tried to give them an official contract but they denied it saying that it was safer in case of enemies hacking into the government system. This ways there's at least one form of transportation that would be hidden from the eyes of the enemy"

"Except that you were wearing a mask at that time and this time you're in disguise"

"Oh I have means of identifying myself with them"

"Understood"

Soon enough they were at the farm and John did indeed have means of letting the people who owned the farm know it was him and they easily were allowed to borrow horses, though the couple first insisted on them having food to eat since it was nearly six in the evening

"Well we must be on our way, and Parker, no planes, that just got nixed by the government"

"At least until they know it's safe?"

"Exactly"

"Understood"

"Very well, we'll stick to the other methods of traveling then"

"Okay that works just fine with me"

"Remember to leave them at the stable we told you about last time"

"Will do"


	24. Chapter 24

They would ultimately take five days to get to the stable they were to leave the horses at. Once that happened they walked to one of the places Allison had mentioned that would let them borrow a car, her ID was all that was needed to unlock the security gates. They didn't use that means of transportation for long because unfortunately for them they got a flat tire and while they fixed the flat they realized that they were definitely being watched and as such knew that they were going to be using various methods for short periods of time until they reached their goal of the capitol. That decision ultimately meant that they took a month and half to get to the capitol, primarily using trains and walking since after a certain point they no longer had easy access to horses and cars were banned after a second flat tire incident only a day after the original incident

"Finally made it"

"Definitely took us long enough, though I'm honestly surprised things aren't worse and that the problem is still primarily confined to Texas"

"Primarily?"

"Yeah, they're starting to gain a toehold on Louisiana last I knew"

"What about Oklahoma and New Mexico?"

"Somehow those two states are managing better than Louisiana, but I know that it's only a matter of time before they start losing ground too"

"What has Louisiana lost anyways?"

"As far as I know, all of the Sabine National Wildlife Reserve, part of the town of Cameron and also part of Calcasieu Lake, both the National and Coat Guards have kept the rest of the state from being completely taken over but it's precarious at best from last I heard, as for Oklahoma and New Mexico, they've been kicked out of Durant, Oklahoma many times since this began and for New Mexico" (chuckles) "Cannon Air Force Base works side by side with the National Guard at the border to keep that part from being crossed over so they haven't even slipped into the state except once and they were quickly kicked back across the border into Texas"

"But still that they've even succeeded partially in expanding is worrying"

"I know, but there's not much we can do right now, now don't forget none of us have any authority here, Mark and I especially since we're police officers from Texas, we're  _way_  outside our jurisdiction here"

"And you and Harold have other rules and restrictions placed on you"

"Exactly"

"So, White House"

"Yep, White House, fortunately he knows about me possibly being in disguise, but he doesn't know about you guys accompanying me so stay away until I call for you"

"Sorry, no go on that decision safer in numbers and you know it"

"Yeah I know, but I'm going to have a hard time going through security as it is"

"And we won't once you call for us?"

(Sighs) "Look we'll discuss this further later, for now we've been on extreme guard since this journey started, as such let's find a place that's cheap but still able to get us to relax and we'll discuss this again in the morning"

"You're right, we need down time, how did you handle this for most of your life before meeting us in the past, and then afterwords when you finally got back home?"

Allison's voice went flat as she responded to that question

"I didn't, not well anyways"

"Right, I won't ask that again, and won't ask for further details either"

They actually managed to get a chance to go to the Smithsonian due to a special event which the museum decided was special enough to warrant lower ticket prices for a short period of time. They also went to a park, and during all of it they would either speak in Russian or ASL depending on what was needed at any point in time, this was so that they could discuss what they would do in the event something happened at their location

"This was desperately needed"

"Yes it was, now then let's get a hotel room and go from there"

The next day all four of them went to the White House and it was indeed a process to get into the White House, but finally they were allowed in and also able to see the President

"So, what's so urgent about seeing me?"

"I told you I would see you sir and also possibly in disguise, you of course know about Texas and the toehold in Louisiana we're here to help create solutions, sorry it took so long to get here but with Texas under siege soon after we escaped, we traveled the slow way, Dallas was hardest to get out of in all honesty"

"Kerenai, than that means you're John, Tonto and Dan respectively also in disguise"

"Yes sir"

"Okay let's make plans"

"Including getting into the EDC earlier than planned?"

"Yes Dan, that may be needed"

Three hours later they had the beginnings of a plan

"Well it's a start anyways"

"Starts are always good"

"Now then I do have to know when you last got a report of any sort?"

"A week before we arrived"

"What did you have in the way of information at that time?"

"That and I quote 'As far as I know, all of the Sabine National Wildlife Reserve, part of the town of Cameron and also part of Calcasieu Lake, both the National and Coat Guards have kept the rest of the state from being completely taken over but it's precarious at best from last I heard, as for Oklahoma and New Mexico, they've been kicked out of Durant, Oklahoma many times since this began and for New Mexico' (chuckles) 'Cannon Air Force Base works side by side with the National Guard at the border to keep that part from being crossed over so they haven't even slipped into the state except once and they were quickly kicked back across the border into Texas' and that's all I know, and you of course have gotten our check in's, at least Tonto and I have been sending check in's so that you know we're alive still"

"So, what are your plans now?"

"That is indeed the question, none of us can go back to Texas right now, besides I get the feeling you have an update for us if you asked what I last knew"

"You're right, I nearly forgot about that, Louisiana has been lost through New Orleans, as for Oklahoma and New Mexico, we've lost the air force base in New Mexico and Durant has been lost in Oklahoma, they haven't gotten much further than that but still they have a further grip on our country your family has taken heavy casualties as has the EDC"

"And the armed forces?"

"Coast Guard is the smallest of the branches and can't afford much more loss in Louisiana, National Guard has taken some losses too and the fight for the base caused massive casualties there as well, almost 2/3rds of the base either dead or injured pretty badly, those that had minor wounds set up a FOB some where's but I don't know their exact location which is honestly for the best"

"Right, well we'll figure something out about that later, for now...for now I think we still need some time to relax, we've been on constant alert since all of this happened"

"Okay, Tonto and Allison are on vacation for another two weeks, you're considered on duty during the time you spent getting here, for Dan and John I might need to do something else since they're not military personnel, however there is a caveat to the vacation"

"Us being close by just in case?"

"Exactly"

"That's doable, but we need places to stay in that case and you know it"

"I already have plans in place to make that so"

"Okay that's good, for now we'll just do some more tourist things"

Suddenly an aid came running in

"Missile attack from Russia! And they  _didn't_  set it off themselves, their computer systems have been taken over, that was confirmed by our own people"

"Sir!"

"Do it Kerenai"

Allison goes to the computer and does complex hacking algorithms so as to get a special virus into the Russian government computer system, the virus was to allow Russia to regain control over their military systems more easily

"Well Russia's handled, unfortunately or fortunately depending on your point of view I checked the system to see which type of missile was sent our way and there's good news and bad news, the good news is that the missile isn't nuclear which means we don't have to deal with radiation sickness, death and wider spread destruction than what the missile is capable of, the bad news is that that particular missile is meant to handle EDC enemies which means it can do  _a lot_  of damage and can be set for outer space or here on Earth"

"How much damage are we talking about?"

"Um...at least half of Washington if not all of the capitol and part of either Maryland or Virginia depending on where the missile hits, and when I say part of either state I mean a three mile radius into either state"

"And there's nothing we can do about it"

"Not quite, but the missile needs to be closer for me to do anything about it"

"Harold how long until it reaches us?"

"Seven hours"

"Night time then"

"You sure you can handle that?"

"Contacts Mr. President"

"Got it, you can handle it"

"Exactly, I already know what the missile looks like, I've seen that type of missile before in person and have set the contacts to track any of those missiles in an emergency"

"And I know that you've already set the contacts to detect that type now that you know what's heading our way"

"Exactly"

"Well for now you have time to relax more, do you know where you need to be to do anything about the missile?"

"Yes, or at least a general idea"

"Yes, it is hard to get an exact idea of where to be until it's closer"

"Exactly sir, from what I can tell of the trajectory I can estimate where it can it within a three mile radius but it's not an exact science"

"I know, technology may have improved greatly to allow for more accurate missile drops but various things could affect a trajectory from that distance"

"Exactly sir"

"In that case the two weeks start tomorrow"

"For now it's past lunch time and we're all hungry, so we'll leave and come back later for our sleeping arrangements after the missile is taken care of"

"Okay I'll let security know you're coming back, will you still be using the false identities?"

"Um...that's something all of us will need to decide on"

"Very well"

The group went to a late lunch and discussed going back to their own identities once more since they were safe in the capitol and decided that for the moment it was better to keep using their false identities for another day or so, at least until the missile destruction was for certain either no longer big news or hadn't been covered at all, then go back to their true identities

"They did the job that they needed which was getting out of Texas and to the nation's capitol without being traced back to the EDC, though we were still followed somehow"

"It wasn't in relation to my family, figured that out shortly before we got here, they were tracking everyone moving around the state and since we were leaving and had left they were doing their best to keep us from revealing to the rest of the world about what's happened not knowing that we did that the day Dallas went under siege"

"At least we don't have that concern"

"True enough, now then I have a job to do tonight and while it won't take long for me to get into position I still have a few things to do to prepare just in case something goes wrong"

"I'm worried about the journals"

"Don't worry, remember I made a digital copy Tonto?"

"That's right you did, but there's something about holding physical copies that have aged surprisingly well"

"Oh there's a reason behind that but I'm not telling you the secret"

"So you did something shortly before returning home"

"Maybe"

"Fine be secretive, for now though like you said you need preparations in case something goes wrong"

That night Allison was ready and tracked the missile to a certain point, and when she deemed it time she went down on her left knee and put both hands on the ground and not saying a word activated her shields, the only thing she would never announce since it wasn't dangerous, the missile itself exploded on the shields but the city itself was safe

"Well now we can officially consider ourselves off duty"

"Okay that's good to know, time for bed in the meantime"

"Agreed"

"Then let's get back to the White House to get our sleeping arrangements"

That's what they do and then spend the next three days keeping a low profile so as to be able to hear better about any news about the missile explosion of any kind but finally knew it was safe for them to use their true identities once more and informed the President about that decision just in case he invited them back to the White House for more planning sessions

"It will be nice to call for you with your real names instead of those false identities which hold up only because they're created by the EDC"

"It will be nice to use our true names ourselves because the false identities may get us away from dangerous enemies but that means we don't get the proper government updates that we truly need, how are things going anyways with the plans we made?"

"The air force base will be attacked today and hopefully we'll get that back because enemies in charge of a military location makes me nervous, even if they haven't done anything with that location yet, as for Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana will have to be freed first since they're so heavily entrenched in Texas, but those two states are waiting just a little longer"

"What for?"

"They're not quite done consolidating everything into one attack group, everyone including the Coast Guard split up into cells when they realized that they were losing the battle ever so slowly"

"And now they need to get back together to make one solid plan besides what we've made"

"Exactly"

"Well, for now we still have vacation time so we'll get back to that, don't forget to call us if we're needed"

"Don't worry I won't"

They walked along the bank of the Potomac when they saw sixty people in distress in the swift current, and they also realized that the Coast Guard was overwhelmed because the reason the people were in the water was because of a boat fire from a ferry and unfortunately most assets were in other locations for training or because of the situation down south. As such Allison ran to the river stripping off her top layers staying only in special under clothing that dried quickly and kept people warm longer either in the water or in winter conditions. Tonto, Dan and John stayed on the bank only because they would help pull the victims that Allison and the Coast Guard got to them, there were other people on the other side of the bank for the exact same reason as Tonto, Dan and John as well so the Coast Guard split the survivors between the bank with Allison's friends, allowing primarily Allison to give them to those three and the people on the other side of the river were given the survivors by the Coast Guard. Eventually, even though a few had recognized Allison the Coast Guard forced Allison to stay on the river bank because unfortunately for everyone they didn't realize that a cut Allison had gotten had gotten infected despite the measures they had taken and now that the wound was closed the infection was spreading inside her body and was weakening her, thus tiring her out faster with water rescues

"Okay, walk-in clinic for you and tests up the wazoo for you for a small measure of hope of figuring out what's wrong with you"

"Agreed, this is not normal"

Ultimately the tests would reveal the hidden infection and that made Allison annoyed in the fact that she got the infection in the first place, but that was the only reason she was annoyed, as such she was quickly prescribed antibiotics

"Well I have an infection guys, it explains what's going on recently and why I tired out so easily in the water rescue, though I still lasted until there were only about twenty left for rescuing"

"You would have continued if the Coast Guard hadn't pulled rank that they technically didn't have"

"Except I understood that they were correct in that I needed to rest, that I would have been a hazard had I continued the rescue"

"Well, we still have about a week and a half left of vacation, after that we'll see what happens from there"

Sadly they would never get their full two weeks of vacation because unfortunately things suddenly progressed very rapidly in the three states surrounding Texas and as such all four of them were needed in the fight, even if only two of them were actually military personnel, though before they deployed they all realized that there was one very glaring problem they might have overlooked

"So, we totally overlooked this until now, but what about Mexico?"

"Oh...they've got it handled"

"Do we even want to know?"

"Let's just say it's a combination of mutual border closing, though they were the ones who had to enforce it, and a few other things that I won't get into right now"

"Understood sir"

"Where do you want us sir?"

"Kerenai, I'm moving you to the Coast Guard, Tonto you're going to New Mexico, they're trying another attack to gain a foothold in Texas and they need a medic, John and Dan while you're not military Dan is a lawyer and John is a Texas Ranger, that's needed for when we regain Texas, as such I'm putting both of you in Louisiana, Dan will be working with JAG very closely while John will be working in the Louisiana state police, normally this wouldn't work but there are other Texas Rangers in the other states and Louisiana as well on an emergency basis, a letter from me will be all you need to get in no problems"

"Sir, why exactly am I being moved to the Coast Guard?"

"Water attack from the Gulf of Mexico, I debated between sending you to the Navy or the Coast Guard for this and I decided on the Coast Guard"


	25. Chapter 25

"Understood sir, um...is this partially because of posse comitatus?"

"No, not this time because of the Enforcement Acts, this is because of the fact that quite frankly while the Coast Guard could be put under Navy jurisdiction by me I need you state side and the Navy could very well send you over seas. I do have a few Navy personnel still on hand in Louisiana but the Coast Guard has a bigger presence this time despite their smaller size"

"How many Navy personnel?"

"Just over 500 and most will be manning the base and one ship"

"Okay Coast Guard is better this time"

"Exactly, though it's still odd that you mention the posse comitatus and I mentioned the Enforcement Acts since it's a whole state in trouble instead of just African Americans"

"The EDC amendment sir"

"Right, forgot about that amendment"

"Though the Coast Guard doesn't fall under that act because of who they are under and the fact that while they are part of the armed forces they also enforce maritime law and regulations"

"Well in any case, all of you are needed where I tell you you are, your flights go out tonight and you're to report in immediately once you get to your locations"

"Yes sir"

"Oh and Kerenai one more thing, your family sent a message to me in code, unfortunately even translated it doesn't make much sense to me or my aids"

"Let me see"

Allison reads it and sighs heavily

"And this is what happens when I'm out of contact for almost two months seeing as how my contact methods are one way I decided to let them know I'm alive by deliberately using my false identity to buy supplies whenever possible, unfortunately that's not considered contact to them in this situation, all it does is let them know I'm alive"

"Why haven't you called them since you got here?"

"Unsecure lines, I left my cell phone back in Dallas and when John almost used a cell phone I got onto him about it seeing as how I destroyed his early on because of suspected tracking by said phone"

"And I agreed with her once I understood why she'd done what she had especially since I didn't know at the time that she'd deliberately left her own behind for that exact reason"

"Okay that's it, I thought you had me switch the systems long ago"

"I did, and I knew you had, unfortunately the place we were staying at had a problem with said Morse code system and shut it down going back to the old system, they've been working on the repairs since the day we got there, as for while we were traveling, well considering our method of travel we weren't in any one place long enough to truly  _make_  contact, even one way"

"Well that certainly would complicate matters, but why are they only now making contact with me?"

"That I don't know, but they contacted me now and I want to know what you want to do"

"Tell them I'm alive and that any future contact is to be in English, though I do understand that stress made them forget, there are a few personal things that you don't need to know about but the main thing is that they were trying to get in contact with me and reverted to using you and also used Cybertronian without thinking about it"

"Will do, and I'll handle the hotel issue as well, I should have been told about it actually long ago"

"Yes you should have, might have to send them to the police for interrogation because they're being  _really_  slow in doing the repairs, we actually had to hound them to do something the first day and they barely do anything, granted once was because of an electrical fire but the rest of the time...I'm quite frankly worried about people staying there"

"I'll take care of it"

"So, time to go since airport security can be a pain"

"Not my fault"

"Oh I know why it's so complicated and a pain but that doesn't mean I have to be fond of such things"

"True enough, now get going I know you don't have much time to deal with airport security"

"Right, good thing all of us keep go bags on hand just in case"

"How did you manage that while on the run?"

"We didn't, we made them after we got here and knew we were safe and had time to do so"

"Which means Kerenai and Tonto don't have uniforms"

"Don't worry about that Dan, the President can always authorize emergency requisition"

"She's right, that I can certainly do, but I actually don't need to, Kerenai do you remember when you were told about Tonto surviving his apparent death by shooting?"

"Yes I remember, I pranked you but good, though with unintentional consequences"

"Not your fault we didn't know I was allergic to the food, well anyways I got Tonto a spare uniform while he was with me before you were separated once more and I got your spare uniform while you were in Europe"

"You got our measurements and made sure we had spare uniforms at your place just in case"

"Exactly"

"And I get the feeling that you're going to make sure that any future President's do the same"

"Yes, all President's are informed about your...unique circumstances with aging for security reasons"

"But of course, well we  _really_  need to get going now"

"Give me five minutes for your uniforms and I'll let you go"

Five minutes later and they were headed to the airport for their various directions per their Presidential orders

"See you guys back in Texas"

"Austin?"

"Dallas"

"Houston, I have my reasons for that by the way"

"Fine Dan"

What they didn't know was that while Austin was the state capitol Dan knew that Houston would be the hardest of the fights because of it's size so it was better to converge there since they would probably be fighting for that city last. Each of their flights were called and they separated per their orders, when Allison herself got to the Coast Guard she had three weeks of integration training primarily because of the fact that Allison was...problematic in their minds with how she did things not understanding that a month and a half of travel in secret affects people, because in all honesty while the four  _had_ gotten back to a sense of normality in that they weren't as hyper vigilant as before all of them were still more vigilant than even a soldier on duty normally would be, and those reflexes caused Allison problems in that she almost hurt her fellow squad members a few times in between activities, and her natural ability to get into a zone when doing shooting or katas didn't help matters either. The other reason actions weren't taken was because shortly after they arrived the enemy made another attack and had regained the ground they had lost in all three states and as such the states needed to regain the ground they had lost and that took timing and groups that none of them were involved in due to location

"Kerenai, we got our marching orders"

"Finally, I was wondering when I'd get involved in the fight"

"We take Galveston first, and go from there"

"Works for me"

And so Dan's mental prediction proved true as to where they would be able to reunite since Galveston was a problem for Allison's team because of the fact that the enemy somehow managed to adapt to naval warfare which meant that the Coast Guard had to fight every inch of the way with very minimal Navy support

"Okay that took  _way_ too much time in my mind"

"You're right, we need to hurry if we're going to help with the fight for Houston"

The fight for Houston ultimately took even longer than the fight for Galveston but eventually the fighting was over and the state of Texas was free once more

"Hey you guys"

"Hey Kerenai, well, time for rebuilding"

"Yeah, our plans are going to be on the back burn for a while"

"Well we did say twenty to thirty years before joining the EDC so that will work fine in regards to the rebuilding"

(Sighs) "this is going to take a lot of work, the government of Texas will need to be reestablished, law enforcement also needs work, hopefully some survived by taking to hiding who they are but it will still take time, and let's not get into the infrastructure that needs rebuilding"

" _That_  is going to take at least a decade and things will never be the same"

"Then we'd best get to it"

The rebuilding was begun the next day and in daylight it was discovered that the damage wasn't quite as severe as originally believed, but it was still bad enough that it would take at least five years to be completed, and that was for Houston alone, at least in regards to the infrastructure. The government of Texas had actually gone into physical hiding, actually leaving the state at the last minute seeking sanctuary in Hawaii, though they were in contact with a secret resistance primarily made up of police officers and as such knew when it was finally safe to return home, having the majority of the police alive, both for the city and as the State Police helped matters in the minds of Allison and John, because that meant that not as many Texas Rangers were needed to be trained up again, though they deputized certain police officers in each city temporarily as per what was allowed in the state constitution to help regain order, including police academy cadets. As such within a year law and order was completely reestablished, even if getting around was still problematic whenever using cars, horses were less of a problem as a means of transportation because of the condition of the roads

"It's weird that horses are the primary means of travel once more"

"I know Dan, but people are still being taught to drive for the day that cars are the primary means of transportation once more"

"I know, and all of us keep up our driving skills because of that very reason, but still it's nice to be riding horses on a regular basis again"

"For now we have to get to Houston, me because I need to get a prisoner and you because of some sort of legal thing from your job"

"Right, get up boy"

They eventually get to their destinations and Allison made sure her prisoner was as secure as they could be, however what Allison didn't know was that the prisoner had no thoughts of escape for two reasons, one of which she would find out once they were back in Dallas. The first reason was because they knew escape was useless since a manhunt would be started and with the way things were right now they wouldn't get very far. The second and more important reason in their minds was because they were an FBI agent in deep cover and had been since shortly before the whole mess happened with Texas, and they  _really_  needed to get in contact with the FBI now due to issues, but with the communication infrastructure still primarily in Morse code in Texas they felt it better that being logged in as arrested in Dallas was the best way to go since for some reason Houston was having computer issues

"So, Dallas huh?"

"Yes Dallas"

"Could you at least loosen these cuffs slightly?"

"Nope, not unless they start cutting off circulation, I am  _not_  letting you escape"

"All things considered that would be a really stupid move right now, but I won't fight you on this"

They eventually got back to Dallas and due to her security clearance as soon as she made a report about who she had arrested she got an alert that only came up if another government agency was on the alert for that particular name in connection to being arrested and what the alert said shocked her extremely, actually causing her to go back to the cell block and ask to speak to her prisoner in a private room

"Why didn't you tell me you were an FBI agent on deep cover assignment?"

"Orders, I have very few people I am allowed to reveal myself to, the exceptions are two Texas Rangers called Allison Kerenai and John Reid plus a few other Dallas officers and a couple of FBI agents, but otherwise I can't tell anyone who I really am"

(Sighs) "I should have identified myself to you when I got you, my name is Allison Kerenai, now I need to know if you deliberately got arrested to alert the FBI to the fact that you were alive"

"No, it's something else, but with the fact that we're mostly still Morse code in Texas I felt it better to leave actual communication beyond status alerts to in person"

"Well at least they're not being surprised completely about your name popping up because otherwise they would be wondering why someone is using a dead agents undercover name"

"I know, that's exactly why I did things the way I did"

"What about during the trouble in Texas?"

" _That_  was a complicated pain in the neck"

"I don't doubt it"

"I expect someone from the agency to come talk to me in a day or so"

"Quick question, did you arrange this code before or during your undercover assignment?"

"Before because of the fact that I might have been forced to use unsecure cell phones in my undercover work so only status reports were permitted over the phone, anything else like further orders are always in person"

"How does that work?"

"We have our ways"

"Okay"

"So what now?"

"Now you let me know if you need my protection before the agency gets here to talk to you, I'm certain that they'll make their own arrangements once they talk to you but until then you're under my protection, if you need moving I will be the one doing it"

"Understood Kerenai, are you going to be the one to escort me back to my cell?"

"Yes, I might as well"

Once the "prisoner" was back in their cell she went back to the office and everyone asked what her hurry was when she left


	26. Chapter 26

"Sorry guys, not telling, primarily because I can't tell you without permission, it's complicated but let's just say that the prisoner I brought back is important to the government, that's all I can really tell you"

"Your computer is designed to give you an alert if it involves the government in some way"

"Exactly, that's why I rushed to see the prisoner, I needed to confirm the connection and discuss where we go from there"

"Very well, for now I need you to go to this location for a follow up question session, stupid video cameras being down"

"Hey you know as well as I that infrastructure won't be completely fixed for another year, at least in regards to electricity and ability to repair security cameras, and another three years for roads to be completely fixed"

"Well...part of the problem this time appears to be water damage and we've always had problems with repairing that kind of damage"

"True enough, at least if it's not EDC equipment"

"Hey, we've been working on it for years now, we just simply haven't gotten approval for whatever reason"

"I'll talk to them and see what the problem is"

"Good, now then, follow up questioning"

"On the way sir"

Five hours later and Allison was finally back at the station

"That shouldn't have taken so long Kerenai"

"Yeah well there are reasons behind that, and no it's not traffic since we don't have any road structures still despite a year of rebuilding, it's more complicated than that I'm afraid"

"Fine, write your report tomorrow, you've been officially done as of two hours ago"

"Nope, need to get this done while it's still fresh in my mind"

"Fine, but don't forget that right now we're on severe overtime restrictions"

"I know sir, oh have you received word yet about Reserve training for this month?"

"Yup, just came in today, you're to report in for two weeks training on the last day of the month"

"That's new"

"Yeah well, forest fires are part of it"

"Oh yeah, forgot people had been pulled in to help fight the California fires recently"

"EDC?"

"Reserve Captain, he was called in for three days when one of the Captains became injured and the unit needed a temporary replacement before they were officially stood down, that stand down was coming anyways since they were reaching the physical limits of what they could do after a solid three weeks on shift and the last three days with a maximum of twelve hours over said three days"

"The loss of their captain just accelerated things"

"Exactly"

"But by how much is the question"

"A week, it accelerated things by a week since the government decided no longer than a month for each Reserve unit called in to fight the fire"

"When was that decision made?"

"From the start this time around"

"You mean that decision has been made later in the call-in?"

"Yes sir, it's all up to command on how long we're allowed in the fight but they sometimes wait until they get a better idea of the situation before making certain calls, this time it's bad enough from the start that they decided only one month maximum, though they're typically rotated earlier this time that unit was far enough out that they were in a good position for the whole month, at least if not for what happened to their Captain"

"Understood, so here's your orders by the way"

"Thanks sir"

"You know the preparation rules for such a thing"

"I know"

"You get to tell the SWAT member"

"Yes sir, he's off duty today so I'll tell him tomorrow"

Suddenly an officer came running in with a paper held up in their hands

"Who hear knows Morse code? I normally wouldn't have a problem but our translator is broken"

"Give it to me, I can read the message,  _without_  needing a translator"

"Military?"

"Not quite, but in either case I know Morse code"

"Fine, here's the message"

_Message_

-.. .- .-.. .-.. .- ... / - . -..- .- ... / .-. .- -. -. . .-. ... .-.-.- / ..-. -... .. / .- -. . -. - / .. -. / -.. .- -. -. . .-. .-.-.- / - - ...- . / .. - - . -.. .. .- - . .-.. -.- / - - / . -.. -.-. / -... .- ... . .-.-.- / -.- . .-. . -. .- .. / - - / -... . / .. -. / -.-. ... .- .-. -. . / - ..-. / . ... -.-. - .-. - .-.-.- / ..-. ..- .-. - ... . .-. / - .-. -.. . .-. ... / - - / ..-. - .-.. .-.. - .- / .- - / -... .- ... . .-.-.- / ... .. -. -. . -.. / ..-. -... .. / .- -. . -. - / .. -. / -.-. ... .- .-. -. . / -.-. .- .-. .-.. - ... / ... . -. -.. . .-. ... - -.

*Dallas Texas Rangers. FBI agent in danger. move immediately to EDC base. Kerenai to be in charge of escort. further orders to follow at base. signed FBI agent in charge Carlos Henderson*

_End of message_

"I need to get the prisoner I escorted here out of the prison, Fortney, Parker, Johnson with me you're under my direction until further notice per the FBI agent that sent this message, by the way I have to tell you guys that the prisoner I escorted here from Houston is actually an FBI agent in deep cover, he allowed themselves to be arrested to have an actual conversation and not just status updates, unfortunately the FBI has apparently received word that the agent is in danger and needs to be moved to the EDC base"

"That's why you rushed that day, and the government connection you mentioned vaguely"

"Yes, through this message I have permission to reveal that they're an FBI agent since if not for the broken translator this officer would have known already"

"Oh?"

"Yep, the message is and I quote 'Dallas Texas Rangers. FBI agent in danger. Move immediately to EDC base. Kerenai to be in charge of escort. Further orders to follow at base. Signed FBI agent in charge Carlos Henderson' that means you need to know the truth to understand just why the FBI is so interested in the prisoner and why they want them moved as quickly as possible, now let's go before anything happens to the agent"

"Okay yeah I would have already known, and you're right, get going since the agent might not even know that they're in danger"

"You're right, I told that agent to get me if they were in danger which means that the FBI knows about the danger but the agent themselves don't yet"

They get to the agent just barely in time, Allison and Parker both took knife wounds in their right and left arms respectively, plus Allison also took a bullet wound in the leg, but the agent themselves were unharmed, when they got to the EDC base the wounds were taken care of quite easily since the wounds weren't as serious as initially thought of

"Thanks for the save by the way, I wasn't even aware of the danger I was in"

"I figured as much since I gave you direct orders"

"Which I would have obeyed had I known of the danger"

"I know, now then we officers need to get back, the orders state that the EDC is to take over your protection until you can get to Washington and FBI headquarters"

"Wait Kerenai, before you go I have something to tell you from the Primes, and just the Primes"

"What about Galvatron?"

"It's about Galvatron, the first thing you should know is that he's on Cybertron, the second...the second is the reason why he's on Cybertron, they said to tell you that Galvatron is Krîǝǘnsoȍņlitho, they said that you would know what I mean, I just hope I pronounced it correctly"

"Close enough anyways that I know what you're trying to say, it's actually pronounced Krîǝǘnsoûòȍņlithȕ, and that's actually very important information about his absence, thank you for this information"

Allison had translated the word she had been told into the English equivalent as terminally ill, Galvatron had basically been sent home to die on his home planet if a cure couldn't be found in time, though he would still be allowed to leave until he was no longer capable either physically or mentally depending on how the illness affected him. On the way back to the station her partners for the agent's protection noticed that Allison was different, and more quiet than she should be not realizing that she was dealing with the fact that she would lose a family member soon enough if nothing could be found to cure him

"Kerenai, are you okay?"

"Not now, it's private, basically family business"

"Fine, but if it starts to affect your ability to do your job we're telling the Captain"

"Don't worry, I'll shake it off before long"

Allison proved herself soon enough not showing what she was dealing with and the next day she informed the SWAT officer about the fact that he would be activated as a Reserve Texas Ranger because of her doing military Reserve training

"I'll let my Captain know and report for duty tomorrow"

"Thanks"

"Thank you for letting me know"

"No problem"

By the end of the month things were settled in regards to the SWAT/ Texas Ranger and Allison was headed off to Reserve training, but she wouldn't finish the two weeks of training this time, a week after she had started training she was called to the office of the base's commanding officer

"You asked to see me sir?"

"Actually it was this EDC officer who wanted to see you"

Allison turned to the officer and saw that it was Captain Faireborn's immediate subordinate, basically if something happened to Faireborn he was in command of the EDC

"Hanson, what's wrong?"

"You're needed back home Kerenai, immediately"

"But Hanson I already have plans to visit home once training is over with, you know that"

"No Kerenai, I mean you're needed  _home_ , the true home of your family and you because of the legal adoption"

"Galvatron...he's...they've told you that he..."

"Yes, you're needed immediately Kerenai, you know full well why that is"

"Yes, I am indeed needed back home"

"Am I cleared to know?"

"Yes, but only because it will be announced within a week, Galvatron, one of the three leaders of Cybertron...is dead, he had a terminal illness they were trying to treat and cure on Cybertron, but he died before they could find anything of use. I need to go home for the funeral and a few other things which you are  _not_  cleared for"

"I understand, what about Tonto?"

"He doesn't need to know until the official announcement after the funeral, he may be closely linked to the EDC but this is a family matter"

"Very well, your things are already packed and ready for you to pick up"

"You told him to do that?"

"Yes, I wasn't sure if you would listen or not or if you had time"

"Right"

Allison leaves and is soon headed for Cybertron, on the way there she remembered a more recent funeral with one of the members who had been sent to the past with her, and that funeral had evoked memories of their first month and a half stuck in the past

_Past_

Allison wakes up groaning and shakes her head to clear the mental cobwebs, which also allowed for memories of what had happened to her only moments before, she quickly saw that there were other EDC officers with her awake and as such gave out an order in a barking voice

"Call out and report!"

One by one each officer gave their identity and then one person gave her an update as far as they knew the situation

"Right, let's get to the nearest town and go from there, but first I want all of you in civvies just in case we've done temporal travel"

And so they soon got to the nearest town and discovered that Allison was correct that they did a time jump, into the past, once that happened they immediately set up a camp outside of town to regroup and make plans for getting home and what they would do until they could get home

"Okay, now that we know our situation here's what we'll do, I am taking overall command, and you know I have that authority to do so, I am pulling my rank for safety reasons. However for general day to day things the person who has the highest rank can be in charge, but when I pull rank and it's obvious that means I'm in charge. We're also going to try and find a way home and never stop looking, even if we fail to do so ultimately, and then finally we're going to help wherever we can however we can, join in the hunt for fugitives from the law, we'll also fight if we can. However we are not to bring attention to ourselves to prevent people from finding out that we're from the future, that means getting clothes for this time period, and we buy weapons for this time period as well, but if EDC enemies find their way to this time period we can totally use EDC weapons against said enemies"

"Kerenai, are you sure you're able to hide your special abilities?, you yourself have admitted that the defenses are sometimes automatic"

"I should be fine guys, but I'll still be careful, now come on we have things to work on to fit in this time period"

A week later and they met the Lone Ranger for the first time, but not by actually speaking with him, instead they were making plans when suddenly a sheriff mentioned the Lone Ranger was asking for help in the form of a posse and so they worked with him for the first time but deliberately didn't meet until the second time they had a reason to work with him, but even then they didn't work together for long, but at the third meeting he would demand explanations from the group because he had noticed that the adults seemed to take orders from an obvious kid, and all of this took place in the span of two weeks. Soon after that the group was separated for a month before being able to reunite and truly stay together the rest of the time adapting and helping wherever they could

_Present_

"That was certainly an interesting time"

Soon enough she was on Cybertron, and the day after her arrival was when they held the funeral for Galvatron. Once the funeral was finished with she and the Primes had a talk about her leadership duties that she knew she would have to take up

"So what are we going to do about this problem? I am willing to leave the Texas Rangers and the Army Reserves now to take up my leadership duties, but that means that our original plans for the aging issue will have to be scrapped and we'll need to come up with a new plan, I am also willing to take time off of both jobs with the President's permission for a month or two to keep up my duties as one of the leaders of Cybertron"

"We have a third option, regular updates and any paperwork that all three have to sign sent to you through couriers to wherever you are, with closer relationships with the President so we know if you're on active duty or not so we know where to send the paperwork"

"Okay, I can tell from the way you mentioned that option that all three of you have been talking about such a scenario for some time now, maybe even before Optimus and Galvatron went missing for a time"

"Yes, we've been thinking about this such scenario since you were nine years old and we sent you to England for the summer because of danger that you weren't aware of, all three of us were at risk of dying and only the fact that you're our legal daughter and a leader in the laws of Cybertron allowed us to be even slightly calm"

"Okay, we'll start with the third option and if it seems that it's not working we'll discuss the other two options again"

"Okay, for now you need to get back to Earth before us, we have things to settle here before going back ourselves, sorry about interrupting your training by the way"

"It's okay, the military understands family emergencies, I am considered on emergency leave until I report back to the base and it won't count against me at all within the unit, especially since they'll be some of the first to find out through the news"

"Well, you still need to get back"

"I know"

Allison finished the training with the group understanding that Allison was in mourning thus while she was engaged it wasn't normal, she needed some prompting at times to complete the training but complete it she did

"Allison, are you okay for police work?"

"I'll give myself a day Tonto, if I have problems I also have emergency leave built up with the Texas Rangers, they already know about the loss of family so that will help"

"That's right, it was in the news the day of the funeral, when I saw it...well you know how I probably reacted"

"Yeah, I have an idea alright"

The regular two days off actually would help Allison deal with her grief a bit better and actually make her capable of performing her duties as a Texas Ranger, during those two days she actually thought back to an active shooter situation in her sophomore year of high school

_Sophomore year_

She was in her science class when suddenly they all heard shooting and Allison, knowing how quickly things develop started leading her class to safety through running out of the building, but what she didn't know was that the running option would be canceled only minutes into the running phase. As she knew corners were blind she went first and started to clear them to run but suddenly she saw the shooter coming in their direction, though not actually seeing them and knew that the direction they had been heading in was now blocked off

"Back, get back, go, go, go, go"

She led them to a different location and realized that they were essentially in trouble with  _almost_  no way out, but fortunately her family had prepared her for this situation so she knew what to do

"Come on, in here, hurry"

She led them into a classroom which only teachers could normally open with their ID's but Allison's school ID also allowed her to open any classroom in the building, that was because as an EDC kid she needed that ability for just such a situation as she was in now, all EDC kids had that security feature inputed into their school ID's and it was refreshed every year as they were given a new ID for every school year. Once they were inside the room she started stacking desks against the door and also turned out the lights and secretly also activated her shields, once that was done she talked in a whisper giving instructions which the teacher allowed since the teachers themselves had been taught that any EDC kid in their classes were in charge in these kinds of situations

"Turn off your phones, now,wait...Josh turn yours to silent, you're going to be the link to the outside world, alert people on either Facebook or twitter about the situation, police should hopefully be monitoring those sites, if not now than hopefully soon, give them status updates every five minutes. I'm going to be the primary line of defense with this fire extinguisher, however the rest of you get ready to fight as well"

Ultimately the fighting option wouldn't be needed, however she also wouldn't undo the barricades until the police came and identified themselves as police in two different ways since the policy had been introduced when she was only seven years old and a gunman pretending to be a police officer managed to get into a room killing everyone in there because of announcing themselves as an officer

"Police are here and are safe"

"Prove it!"

"Summer cove"

"Cold waters"

"Hawaii summer"

"Okay you win, it's real"

They undo the barricade and school is dismissed for the rest of the day because of the incident

"So, we need a new plan"

"No, the current plan we have for these incidents is still effective"

"Fine, but if this happens again we'll need to reevaluate"

"I know"

_Present_


	27. Chapter 27

"I miss you so much Galvatron, I wish a cure could have been found"

When Allison reported for duty in the Texas Rangers she was given desk duty for three days so as to assess her in how she was handling her loss, and it was something she knew would happen so she didn't protest at all

"Captain, you understand that there will be couriers more regularly now?"

"Because you're a leader?"

"Yes, I at the very least need to be able to sign paperwork"

"I understand"

"Okay, just making sure of that"

"I'll see to it that you're not called out as much, we'll adjust as we adapt to this new situation and reach some sort of a balance, what about your military job?"

"That's being handled already by a different group of people"

"I understand, not cleared to know"

"Exactly"

"What about Tonto who's with your unit?"

"Let me handle the military Captain, you handle the Texas Ranger half of my job"

"Very well"

"Captain, I know you're not happy about what I told you but you also know that while you're cleared for more than most Texas Rangers there are still things I need to keep secret, primarily because they're family secrets but still there are government things that I need to keep secret as well, this falls under both for reasons I can't get into"

"I wish there weren't so many secrets involved with you, it could get very complicated with your fellow Rangers, even if they understand even a fraction of what's currently going on"

"Life is the way it is, unfortunately my legal adoption by the Cybertronians means that I have more secrets than most and the majority involve my family and how deeply involved that can make me with the government on top of my work as a Reserve soldier"

"And that's the hardest part of everything"

"I know, but I can't afford too many people to find out who I truly am"

"I know, but at least this particular Ranger unit knows more than most Rangers, I just hope at some point that secrets won't be necessary for you"

"That's not very likely but it's a good dream none the less"

"Yeah, I know it's just a dream, but one can always hope since the security seems to lessen every year"

"It doesn't, you just think it does since depending on the situation your clearance is raised just enough to learn a little bit more about my life and my past, but you'll never get full clearance. I'm afraid that only the President and a few of the higher ups in the military will ever be truly cleared to know about me, and that includes whoever is in charge of the human side of the EDC"

"Why can't the Texas Ranger half of your job ever be fully cleared?"

"You're still considered civilians and civilians will never get the full clearance that's needed to know my full history regarding my past and my family"

"But police officers are still cleared for slightly more than actual civilians"

"Exactly"

"Well all I can tell you is that your fellow Rangers are getting a little tired of secrets involving you, and I'm including myself in that number"

"Well for now all I care about is that I informed you about my current situation, we'll make adjustments as needed"

"Very well"

Ultimately the group did managed to adjust to the new situation within three months and at that point things were reevaluated in the Cybertronian army and minor adjustments there were made because it turned out that while the courier system was good and all, and the closer connection to the government was also a plus there were a few kinks in the system whenever there were communication black outs on the military side of the equation since whenever she was a Texas Ranger they knew where she was and was easily able to get a hold of, the military Reserves...not so much even though it was the one time when they were sent to a secret location for a month to help in disaster relief, and the only reason it was so secret in the first place was because of the fact that the country they were helping was a bit prideful in that while they were willing to accept help from other nations, they didn't want it known on television that they had called for help, though they knew there was no preventing the news from getting out about the earthquake that started the whole thing in the first place since they weren't the only ones hit by a tsunami

"Well, that wasn't quite as smooth as we thought, so how are we going to adjust to such situations?"

"Hopefully that kind of situation won't happen again, at least the length won't happen again I hope, as for other blackout conditions maybe simply give those forms to the President with our seal and that will let him know it's for you ASAP"

"That could work, let him know?"

"Of course, now though time for some training"

"Right, thanks for letting me know about the change of schedule by the way"

"You need this training just as much as we do, maybe even more so now that you're an actual leader"

"Let's not also forget that I really need the connection this training gives me with you guys, I need that connection regularly for reasons that you're well aware of"

"I know, it's why you have a break on a regular basis to do a few days with us, we normally don't move it but you need it more than normal"

"I do, everything that's happened over the past few months means I really need to be with my family for a few days"

"Your jobs have been informed of the week long training with your family, fortunately they know you do it regularly so it's not questioned, at least that the training is happening, the timing  _might_  be questioned for reasons that you're aware of"

The week was spent primarily making sure that everyone would obey Allison's orders without question, that they trusted their newest leader implicitly seeing as how they may have raised her, and they may have known in the back of their minds that she was one of the leaders if anything happened to the three main leaders, but they had never put that leadership into practice where she gave actual orders to her family, even if it was in training

"Jazz, go left three feet and have the flash bombs ready, Mirage, Barricade keep him covered, Prowl in two minutes I need you to move behind the boulders to your right and shoot in the air, everyone else keep up the fire"

Jazz got to the location and let her know so

"Okay I'm in position now what?"

"Now toss the flash bombs as high into the air as you can towards the enemy"

Jazz tossed the flash bombs and at the right time Prowl shot his gun and hit the flash bomb causing mass temporary blindness on the enemy forces which ultimately ended the battle fairly quickly, suddenly a voice interjected itself

"Scenario over"

Everyone released silent tension that was always present in a training session since they always kept it as real as possible

"So that's why ya gave us those orders huh?"

"Yes, thanks to my upbringing I am an  _expert_  in tactics, in my own unit I am considered a tactical genius, this is only because they haven't met Prowl and Prowl is at least ten times better than I am seeing as how he's designed for tactical thinking"

"Well our week of training ends tomorrow, but I think at least some of the kinks have been worked out"

"Yes, there's still work to do but we're getting there, things are definitely smoother than the first day that's for sure"

"We should have done this sooner, it would have made things smoother from the start, you're already familiar with paperwork but actually giving us orders has never been done before, even if by calling out your attacks you were giving us a subconscious order to protect ourselves and any others from harm they were never direct orders"

"Maybe, but you're forgetting that quite frankly up until I was a teenager I was too young to participate in such training, and once I graduated high school I joined the military and as soon as I could I then joined the Texas Rangers, thus never really giving us the time needed for such training"

"We should have demanded from the President to allow such training"

"Maybe, but what's done is done, and at least we've had the training now, though like I said kinks still need worked out"

"Like long distance orders being given?"

"Exactly, there are a few other kinks but that's a huge one"

"What's another kink that's hopefully an easier fix?"

"I'm practically helpless when I have at least two senses temporarily messed with, it almost got Bumblebee, Rumble, Devastator and Superion killed"

"Normally you're fine with a temporary loss of senses"

"Except for the fact that having been raised by you guys means I have developed a sixth sense about my surroundings except whenever around you since I can...sense your living energy for lack of better explanation, even with my fellow Rangers and my friends from the past I can fight blind and deaf because I'm not as flooded in my brain with where allies are"

"You're definitely not explaining things clearly"

"I know, unfortunately I don't have a better explanation yet as to what my sixth sense is like with you guys and humans"

Suddenly they hear another voice

"I think I have an explanation now that I have heard this, you have a sixth sense on the battlefield with both your family and your co-workers when you have all your senses, however your powers have given you a low level ability to sense what gives us life and since you've lived with that almost all your life whenever you have lost your sense of sight and hearing you're overwhelmed with all the different locations where our 'life force' for lack of a better word is since fighting is fluid. However while you have a sixth sense with your fellow Texas Rangers and military unit as well there is a slight difference in how you perceive them with said sixth sense so if you lose your sight and hearing you can still fight even if the battle is fluid"

"That's as good an explanation as any I guess First Aid"

"For now the day's training is over with, tomorrow we have a little bit more training and then you need to get back to one of your two jobs"

"Exactly, but I'm glad we've done this because this truly was needed"

"Allison, we need to talk about your three jobs at one point"

"Things are working okay for now, if things get bad we'll reevaluate once more, there's also the fact that within the next five to ten fifteen years all four of us will join the EDC officially while doing something about our current identities since we no longer age"

"And that's exactly why we need to talk sometime soon"

"We'll figure something out, for now time for bed and then tomorrow is more training"

The next day the training was actually relatively easy in that the primary training done that day was the various codes used whenever contacting Allison in either of her other jobs and also the various ways to even  _get_  in contact with Allison, including the fact that Allison had finally made a decision on the secondary contact person if they couldn't get in contact with either Allison or the President since the President was automatically the first contact person if she herself was incommunicado for whatever reason

"So who's the contact person?"

"John, I debated between him or Dan but I chose John for reasons that you don't need to know about, if not for the fact that Tonto is in my same unit in the Reserves I would have chosen him probably"

"Does he know about this?"

"He will soon enough trust me on that"

"You going to tell him in person?"

"Not exactly, I'll tell him in my own way and my own time, but it will definitely be soon"

"It better be soon, because we really don't want to surprise him with this sort of thing"

"It will be I promise"

Finally the training ended and Allison was told to report to her Reserve unit because they were training for deployment once more, China was asking for help with a problem they were being currently secretive about, but through Russia it was confirmed to be bigger than what they themselves could handle on their own, what Russia through a promise with China and China themselves weren't saying was that the problem was EDC enemies that were threatening multiple countries if they were revealed to the EDC, otherwise China would have been more public about the help they needed and asked the Cybertronians and the EDC for help directly. Russia was doing what they could to stem the tide but due to the fact that Russia themselves were currently having trouble within their own military because of scandals and EDC enemies themselves, though the enemies this time were hidden and more threats of invasion than anything else

"Right, I'll need to talk to my Texas Ranger Captain first sir, there's something I need him to do for me and I need a quick update too"

"Good point, twenty-four hours to report to your Reserve unit"

"Okay, it shouldn't take that long but at least I have a buffer in case things go wrong"

Allison went to her Captain and got the update she needed and then received the instructions to send a letter to John Reid in Austin Texas Rangers unit and then went to the airport where the buffer would ultimately be needed

"A plane crash...the entire airport is now on delays because of a plane crash, good thing I have that buffer, is there any possible leads to the cause?"

"They said a sudden micro-burst might be the cause but an investigation will still be needed"

"So...how long will there be a delay?"

"At least another five hours, maybe more"

"Right, I'll just get something to eat, might make a phone call if an announcement is made that the delay is going to be too long"

"Have some where's to be?"

"Yep, I have some where's to be, but I'm not telling you what it is"

Fortunately the delay was only six hours and then things slowly started to get back on schedule, though it would ultimately take two days for that particular airport to get back to full capacity with the normal delays and whatnot that always happens at busy airports, but for Allison she was busy doing mountain climbing training and also some urban fighting training, complete with the language barrier of Chinese as they were also doing humanitarian training as well

(Sighs) "Okay, we need someone who can speak Chinese, and I may need to ask some people high up in the chain of command what's going on"

"You're suspicious about something"

"Yes Tonto, I'm suspicious about something what with the training we're getting, including the Chinese nationals"

"Will they tell you though?"

"That is indeed the question, I'm completely cleared now thanks to my rank but even the government keeps secrets from the EDC depending on things, including keeping promises to foreign governments"

"Yeah...speaking of your relatively still new rank how will that affect us on this mission or others"

"I can call for help on my own instead of going through an intermediary, even as the legally adopted daughter I had to go through the Primes or Galvatron, even if they new my assessments were always accurate in needing EDC help since they were technically not under my command, and you already know about the paperwork which some kinks have already been needed to be worked out"

"This is a wait and see situation isn't it?"


	28. Chapter 28

"Yes, like I said, fortunately I can now call on my family without any intermediary...well almost without any intermediary but even  _you_  have to admit if something happens to the radio we have to use the international relay system. There's also the fact that I have some authority over any prisoners we take if we do have EDC enemies captive"

"For the radio you're right in that if we lose our radio we have to use the international relay system until it reaches one of our ships who will then relay it to your family, and I hope the paperwork kinks have been worked out because you sounded angry about said kinks when I heard from you"

"We're working on the kinks still, but we think we've come up with a solution"

"In either case, this is going to get interesting depending on what you learn from your phone call"

Allison would get nothing from the President himself because of the promise they had made with China to not try and find out more through Russia than what they were being told, the other reason which was more subtle was because of the fact that the President didn't know much in the first place

"Didn't get much did you?"

"Nope, except for the fact that we should be deployed soon"

"Fine, back to training for now though"

"Yep, back to training"

Two weeks later and the group was indeed deployed to China and that's when they discover about the EDC enemies and the threats which were keeping China silent

"Well this complicates things a lot"

"So, family time?"

"No, we'll see how far we can get first, once we can no longer make progress against the enemy I will consent to calling in my family for help, the enemy is  _dangerous_ , China is taking a big risk asking for help even in secret because these guys  _will_  go through with their threat if we're discovered"

"Yeah, this complicates matters than, at least like you said you can call for them yourself now if needed and can give orders without any problems either too"

"We're in for a long fight aren't we?"

"Most likely Captain, most likely"

"Texas Allison?"

"In part Tonto, we're also going to do guerrilla warfare"

"Um...Texas?"

"I thought we told you guys how we got out of Texas when it came under siege, starting with Dallas"

"Nope, all you guys said about that was that you managed to escape before the enemy had full control of the state and took a long time to get to Washington because you were being careful about discovery"

"Huh, thought we'd gone into greater detail"

"Nope, all you two said was that you handled things and wished to not go into greater detail and so we honored your wishes"

Allison pinches the bridge of her nose at hearing that

"Okay, Captain, Tonto and I need to have a  _talk_ , the kind of talk where we explain things that should have already been explained and yet weren't for whatever reason when we got back together after freeing Texas, the rest of you keep looking over those maps, one of you might discover a weakness yet"

"Captain?..."

"Best do it guys, the Lt. knows what she's talking about"

And so Tonto and Allison explain  _exactly_  what they and their two other friends did to survive the journey to the nations capitol and to even escape Texas while it was being put under siege starting with Dallas surprisingly enough seeing as how Austin is the state capitol

"Okay that should work...and you have charge of any EDC prisoners Kerenai?"

"Yes, but with these guys it won't be very likely but if we do capture any of them I will give further instructions then, but ordinary cuffs aren't going to cut it in securing them and that's an advanced warning"

"Sedation work on these guys?"

"Um...yes and no, yes sedation does work but for it to be effective you basically have to give enough to knock out an elephant or any other big animal"

"And we don't have enough for all our enemies"

"Exactly"

"So basically shoot to kill"

"Well, considering that's probably the only way you'll survive than yes shoot to kill"

"Well if we should capture one we'll use the sedatives and you'll have authority over them"

"Yes that...wait, I can get us the right sedatives and the amount we need, and if we need more I'll request them at the time, the problem is communication with the outside world"

"Yeah, radios haven't been broken per se but..."

"Exactly"

"So what's your plan for the problem?"

"Not sure yet, for now we need a break so I say it's down time for everyone"

"Move first though?"

"Yeah, might be a good idea, we  _may_  have been busted scouting"

"I thought we were quiet enough"

"Oh it's not our side that's the problem it's them, they have low level empathy which allows them to sense their enemies up to a certain distance, we may have been forced to get too close identifying them than was safe and thus being detected"

They quickly move and set up camp at another place and both Allison and Tonto both decide to have some journal time

_Day 20_

Well I met Chief Thundercloud today, twenty days after you went to sleep and I had to be the one who told him what happened to you guys, having to explain who two of you were in relation to their good friends first, but still it wasn't easy. I have been invited to stay for their version of a funeral ceremony and to help them with something the Chief has yet to explain, but he mentioned that I would enjoy helping them with what they are asking help for, well have to get going since the funeral will start soon and I have been given clothes for this ceremony and I need to change

After reading several more entries they both go to sleep knowing it was needed due to the fact that getting word to the EDC was going to be complicated

"Bed time?"

"Oh yeah, tomorrow's going to get complicated by a whole heck of a lot"

"No kidding"

The next day the three people were discussing the radio problem

"Quick question, won't asking for those sedatives let your family know you need their help?"

"Not exactly Captain because I've asked for those sedatives before when there was a possibility of going up against EDC enemies that were powerful, not to mention I've asked for human dose EDC sedatives as well because I knew of the possibility of them being needed"

"You?"

"Oh yeah, and the commanding officers who are as stubborn as me and need the sedatives to get any sleep after suffering loss and dealing with a ton of paperwork"

"Okay fine, you asking for sedatives won't be suspicious, how are we going to do it still is the big question"

"Relay points"

"Yeah and how are we supposed to  _contact_  those relay points without being busted?"

"That's where the complicated part comes into play, because this  _will_  get complicated. As far as I know a weakness has yet to be found, as such the complicated communication, and this is how it will work, Tonto and I have bows and arrows we use, one arrow between the two of us and get it as far as we can each time we shoot the bow and arrow until we get it to the nearest village, once we get it to the village that's where the relay system will truly come into play because we will make sure it reaches a place that knows Morse code, from there it will relay until it gets to a US Navy ship, and from the Navy ship it will relay until it gets to an EDC base in the United States, any where's in the United States will work since all EDC bases have to have both types of sedatives in stock, and when I say in stock I mean at least two years worth of supplies at any given time"

"What?"

"Yeah, there's a complicated reason behind  _that_  decision that you're not cleared for and once the message is received getting the sedatives is going to be just as complicated as sending out the message that I need them in the first place will be"

"And what about the rest of the unit in the meantime?"

"Oh, this is where it gets fun because you're also going to be part of the message relay both ways"

The Captain naturally got scared when Allison started grinning the one type of grin that  _all_  military and Texas Ranger Captains had learned to fear from her because it meant that she had a  _PLAN_  involving their respective units

"I shouldn't have asked"

"Tell me Captain, how much training have you or the rest of the unit had in intercepting alien communication and the bow and arrow?"

"Knew I wasn't going to like it, and as answer to both your questions not enough trust me, why?"

"Well you could track them with communication interception and as for the bow and arrow you could help us move the message along since our arms  _will_  tire out and take that much longer to send the message"

"Since we can't do that do you have a plan b with us?"

"Oh yeah"

"I'm scared"

"Oh take it easy, plan b is very, very simple, relay runs in between bow and arrow shots, contacts can tell you where each shot lands and we can have someone already there fresh for a run to a set location each time"

"How would we be fresh?"

"The horses we borrowed?"

"Oh, that would work, what about the enemy?"

Allison winces at that

"You're going to have to learn how to intercept and track alien communications the hard and fast way I'm afraid"

"By simply doing it after a quick lesson on how"

"Exactly"

"I hate that method, the last time you forced that lesson method on us the entire unit was almost wiped out due to a mistake that beginners make, especially when being taught by that particular method"

"I know a rookie mistake almost killed everyone, that was in a way deliberate due to the fact that quite frankly if you had been taught the normal way you would have made a more critical mistake that  _would_ have killed everyone, that  _particular_  situation is  _always_  taught the hard way for that  _exact_  reason"

"Didn't know that"

"You weren't supposed to ever find out, but with your fear I had to reveal the truth behind that scenario so that you can trust me and trust in the unit to handle learning on the fly because that sometimes happens in the military unfortunately"

"So interception lesson before message relay?"

"Exactly"

"Hope it doesn't take too long then"

"Agreed"

It took a little longer than expected since Allison had to also teach them how to keep themselves from being detected while they were intercepting the transmissions

"Are you sure this will keep us safe?"

"Safer than if you don't use these safeguards or try and get too close to them again"

"You have a point there I guess, but still I hate rushed training of this sort"

"Not too happy about it either but you know it's what's needed in this situation"

"I know, just wish it wasn't necessary"

"For now it's time for message relaying"

And that's exactly what they do, Allison and Tonto shoot the arrow and others run to a designated location for three days, Allison would be the one who would get the message to the city, very, very carefully, she first hunted for the building she needed to get the message to and then in the dark of night shot the arrow through the window and onto the desk knowing it would be seen in the morning and seen the next day it was when the person went into the office

_Message_

-.- . .-. . -. .- .. / - - / . -.. -.-. .-.-.- / -. . . -.. / ... . -.. .- - .. ...- . ... / -... - - ... / .-.. .- .-. -. . / .- -. .. - .- .-.. / ... - .-. . -. -. - ... / .- -. -.. / ... ..- - .- -. / -.. - ... . / ... - .-. . -. -. - ... .-.-.- / -.. - / -. - - / -. . . -.. / ..-. ..- .-. - ... . .-. / .- ... ... .. ... - .- -. -.-. . / .- - / - ... .. ... / - .. - . .-.-.- / - ... - ... . / .-. . .-.. .- -.- .. -. -. / - ... . / - . ... ... .- -. . / .- .-. . / - - / ... . -. -.. / - . ... ... .- -. . / .. -. / - - .-. ... . / -.-. - -.. . .-.-.- / ... . -. -.. / - - / -. . .- .-. . ... - / ..- -. .. - . -.. / ... - .- - . ... / . -.. -.-. / -... .- ... . .-.-.-

*Kerenai to EDC. need sedatives both large animal strength and human dose strength. do not need further assistance at this time. those relaying the message are to send message in Morse code. send to nearest United States EDC base.*

_End of message_

"Best send this out like requested, immediately"

The relay continued until it reached Hawaii who then sent the message to Alaska since they were actually closer via Russia to send supplies, the reason it went to Hawaii instead of Alaska in the first place was because the relay went through to Japan, to Taiwan, to the Philippines, to Guam, to the Mariana Islands, to two different ships, to Wake island, to an airplane, to another ship, to Midway,  _then_  Hawaii and the EDC base at Hawaii sent the message to Alaska, who made contact with Russia explaining why they were needed and Russia agreed quite willingly knowing the full story behind the message. And the reason behind the  _route_  was a combination of the time of day, the frequency heard, the competency level of Morse code and the ability to relay the message in the first place, because while Taiwan is closer to China the one person who was able to relay the message had been out on a brief errand and only received the message on return, so five different people in Japan had received the message first and two were unable to relay the message and so the other three kept on repeating the message until they received word that it had been relayed. The reason behind why there wasn't a dedicated relay system by the EDC or any other military was because they didn't think it was needed, even after the events in Texas showed just how important Morse code was in certain situations. As for the supply drop from Russia to Kerenai and her unit Russia and China had made arrangements with Kerenai before they had gone deep into the area the enemy was for any load drop requests so Russia and China both knew that a couple of people would be at the drop zone waiting for when the supplies arrived to take it back to their group seeing as how Russia would just do an air drop for any supplies that weren't fragile like bottles full of sedatives

"So...how long are we supposed to wait again?"

"Considering the relay system? I think Kerenai said a week"

"By the way how did she take..."

"The news I had to tell her when she got back?, not as bad as I feared to be honest"

"We were almost destroyed because of a mistake by a civilian we brought with us, a civilian who should have known the rules"

"I know, but like I said it could have been a whole lot worse"


	29. Chapter 29

 

 

 

"How so?"

"She's one of three leaders of Cybertron, rank, authority over EDC enemies and the fate of several nations based on her decisions, trust me there would have been  _ **TROUBLE**_  had the results of that civilian's actions been worse"

"She could have done things that you couldn't have in regards to punishment couldn't she?"

"Oh yeah, trust me you don't  _want_  to know the limits of what she could have done, he got off easy with confinement and the bread and water diet for two weeks"

"Wait, her rank means she has authority over us as well"

"Yes, she technically does, but she follows the chain of command in the military unless she  _has_  to assert her authority as one of the leaders of Cybertron, what happened while she was gone was her jurisdiction because of the enemy we're fighting"

"Wow, I knew that she was one of the leaders of Cybertron with the death of Galvatron, we  _all_  heard about Galvatron's death after all, and we also were told by her about her relationship with the Cybertronians, but I never realized that her new rank gave her control over the normal military"

"Only in specific circumstances for the most part but yeah she can give orders to those highest in the chain of command if she feels it's necessary"

"Wait, she can give POTUS orders?"

"Yes, she can give POTUS orders"

"That's not normal"

"Ah, here's where there are restrictions, she can only give orders if it directly involves the EDC and her family, otherwise the most she can do is advice him if he asks"

"Well at least we have that assurance"

"For now though we have a package to await while she's in charge back at camp per my orders"

Two days later the sedatives arrived and the group went back to the camp, which had been moved because the civilian had changed the settings on the radio they were using to track alien transmissions and it revealed their location and the fact that they were tracing said communications in the first place

"Hey Kerenai, we got the sedatives, two years worth somehow"

"Right, time to really get into the fight, and by the way, I would duck if I were you guys"

"Duck...why?"

"Here's why, Arranyan whip!"

Suddenly Allison had a whip in her hand and was using it against hidden enemies, but if her fellow soldiers hadn't ducked when told they would have been hit by the whip since she didn't get the enemy with the first hit due to just how fast the enemy was, but she didn't dare use more destructive abilities for a combination of respect for the Chinese government, who had asked her specifically to keep the damage to a minimum, and the fact that she didn't want to kill her fellow soldiers. After two hours the battle ended but that would be the start of a pattern of fighting and running that would last for three months before Allison finally gave in and called her family to help end the fighting and with them in the fight it ended in a matter of days, though her family decided to have a private yet public word with her after the prisoners were secured, they did that through Cybertronian, because while everyone had the translator earpieces in they were currently deactivated by mutual agreement of keeping family conversations private at all times when it came to Allison and the Cybertronians

*Next time call us immediately with these guys*

*Sorry Prowl, the threat was too great this time, besides my unit needed a refresher on handling EDC enemies, combine those reasons with the fact that quite frankly China is  _not_  suitable battle ground for you guys and I waited until we could get things into position*

*Fine, by the way you have paperwork that needs all three signatures waiting for you when you get back to the States, normally with this situation we could have bypassed the need but not with specific laws that need your approval, and there's also some training paperwork that needs your specific approval as well considering what the training will be*

*Okay, I'll get that taken care of after debrief, for now...time to go home*

Once home they had their debrief and then Allison spent the next two days going over Cybertronian paperwork and signing what she needed to sign, though she actually signed the line that said she was not approving of one of the laws, and on the line that demanded the reason she gave a very solid reason, and that reason was because quite frankly the law was not good in the long run for her adoptive family even if it sounded like it was at the time, and as for training she disapproved a training experience on account of it being too dangerous for EDC officers and any military personnel that may be required to join in the future

"So, done with the paperwork?"

"For the moment Captain, though with my position there's  _always_  paperwork waiting for me now"

"But not as much buildup I hope"

"Agreed, but when I have Reserve duty I have Reserve duty and you know full well what that could mean"

"I do indeed know what that could mean, you might have another paperwork buildup if you can't be contacted, but hopefully that will never happen with frequency"

"Agreed, but it might happen occasionally depending on the mission, but we have things in place now to hopefully prevent such a thing, unfortunately this current mission means that the procedures were useless"

"Well for now it's time for you to be a police officer again with hopefully minimum disturbance in regards to your other job"

"Right"

"Um Captain, you  _do_  know that technically Kerenai can give  _you_  orders right?"

Allison turns at the new voice and is pleasantly surprised at who it is, an EDC kid whom she hadn't seen for five very long years, since they had graduated from the police academy in Honolulu Hawaii

"Lucas, two questions, what are you doing here and how much do you understand about my new rank in regards to your level of clearance?"

"My wife's job moved her here three months ago and as for my clearance I am fully cleared to know about you seeing as how I am also a Reserve EDC officer and you know full well what that means"

"It means I have authority over you at any given time, when did you join the EDC?"

"A year ago, you just weren't told about it since you didn't need to know at the time"

"Fine, here's how this is going to work then, normal police matters the Captain is in charge, you go to him before you go to me about any questions or orders, if you are the only Texas Ranger in a situation that calls for Texas Rangers you're in charge of the normal police officers, if I am not doing my own Reserve training and an EDC matter comes up you get  _me_ before you get anyone else, if I am not available for whatever reason you get the nearest EDC base on the line and get your orders from them and you're in charge of this entire department"

"The...the  _entire_  police department?"

"Yes Lucas, if you're the only EDC officer when an EDC matter comes up you're the highest ranking officer in that situation, even I have to take orders from you, heck one time when Allison was in her current situation there was a...situation and a barely out of training EDC officer came and took charge of the whole department for three whole days, you were finishing up your Texas Ranger training in Austin at the time"

"Yeah, John was training me Allison"

"John, the same John that's friends with Tonto?"

"Yep, that John, John Reid"

"Okay, that means you had one of the best training you"

"In any case, yes Lucas I do know that she can give me orders, but I also know Kerenai and she's pretty strict on chain of command kind of stuff, I learned  _that_  from the reports she and others have written over the years, I've not had the frenzy reading I had when I initially came in but I do still read old reports because they may give me new insight on a situation I might be in at any given time"

"Okay, which report gave you the biggest hint on just how closely I follow chain of command?"

"The report about what happened when an entire SWAT unit didn't listen to chain of command and got multiple civilians and themselves killed and many more civilians and officers injured, including you"

"Oh, that incident, yeah wasn't happy that day  _at all_ "

"I'm surprised your reaction wasn't worse in all honesty"

"Yeah I can bet you would be, but I do have control over my emotions that most people don't"

"You have to have that control I bet, but still it is interesting that you have an unusual amount of control over your emotions even in a situation such as that"

"Oh yeah, doesn't mean I don't cut loose later at an EDC base against training robots if I feel it's needed due to the fact that normal gyms are unable to handle my releases"

"How sure of that are you?"

"Um well, considering the fact that I completely  _destroyed_  three punching bags, a wall and broke a person's arm the last time I went to a normal gym at fourteen and needed to release my emotions I think I know just how destructive my releases can be"

"Now she destroys one or two training robots depending on how bad the release is, oh and also hurts family members who decide to spar her if the training robots aren't cutting it"

"Lucas..."

"Sorry, but he really does need to know just how bad it can still get depending on the situation"

(Sighs) "Okay, you have a point, anyways all three of us are now officially off duty at least at this job, my job is officially never ending but the Primes and Galvatron took shifts and that's what we'll do with me, though I think they're going to shorten my shifts slightly because I  _am_  human and only call me in an emergency, we'll continue this conversation tomorrow to see if any further adjustments are needed to be made considering what happened this last time"

"See you tomorrow, and Kerenai we may have to change your schedule because of your new rank within the EDC, but like you said we'll reevaluate tomorrow when we're more awake"

"Right, by the way if I am suddenly dealing with EDC things I am not reachable, period, we learned  _that_  the hard way when I was sixteen, in high school, and dealing with a large scale emergency with all three leaders on Cybertron dealing with problems there, the  _only_  reason I stayed sane was because Prowl, Starscream, Ratchet, Hook, Captain Faireborn and her second in command forced breaks on me either through sedation or through locking the office in their own unique way"

"Which is?"

"Cybertronian energy fields only"

"You've seen those security features used before haven't you Lucas?"

"Oh yeah, I lived on a  _very_  dangerous base at times and one area was completely off limits to all humans and that area had that security feature always in place"

"The engine room probably, just like Wheeljack's lab"

"Most likely, I'm surprised Jazz wasn't involved at that time"

"Jazz was...unavailable for reasons I cannot get into, even for you Lucas, suffice to say though that if he had been available he would have been in the forefront of getting me to relax as much as possible"

"Why were you even put in charge of the base anyways?"

(Sighs) "I wasn't supposed to be originally, unfortunately circumstances forced me to become in charge of the EDC on Earth, originally Prowl was supposed to be in charge with Captain Faireborn the primary person in charge of the human section of the EDC"

"Wait, why didn't Prowl take over after the problem resolved itself?"

"Um...I can't tell you guys I'm afraid, there really is much neither of you are cleared for despite being cleared for a lot as an EDC officer and my Captain respectively"

"Figures, just...can you at least tell me if it was a joint decision about you remaining in charge once Prowl's issue was resolved?"

"Not...entirely, but that's mostly on my end, there was definitely a lot of arguing involved when it came down to it"

"You argued, let me guess you fought to remain in charge while Prowl wanted you to stand down considering what you told us"

"Yep, I argued loud and hard to remain primarily in charge"

"Figured as much...wait I get the feeling the argument was deeper than command"

"Yeah, there were...concerns regarding my health and weight since I was and am thin, the average person doesn't realize I have muscle and exercise so much that I remain thin and fit, my doctors have no concerns over my weight and diet"

"Well in any case we  _really_  need to get home, all three of us so see you two tomorrow"

"Right Captain"

The next day things were talked about and arranged, Allison was officially put on half shifts until further notice and would remain that way for six months. Six months after the arrangements were made and almost a year after Galvatron's death Allison and the rest of the Cybertronians would receive a shock that they weren't expecting. Everyone thought that Galvatron had died from an illness, but that wasn't actually the case, what had happened was that what they thought was Galvatron was an impostor, a very good life-like robot, but just a robot, Galvatron himself was still alive and a captive, it took him a long time to get home though and when he did Allison fainted and the Primes, Prowl, Starscream and several others required definitive proof before believing what they were being told

"It's hard to believe you're alive Galvatron"

"I know, I tried to get to you guys before the impostor 'died' per it's design but I was too late and Allison was forced into leadership duties, however Ally, you can stand down now"

The next day the four talked and decided that a year from that day they would join the EDC unless things forced their hands and made them join the EDC sooner

"I wish this wasn't necessary and it's only been seventeen years almost but after the close call three months ago..."

"Exactly"

The next day their plans were forced to change because the Primes and Galvatron asked them to stay at their current jobs for at least another ten to fifteen years, for reasons that they weren't getting into yet

"Fine, by the way I request three months of no EDC matters being given to me, leading is hard"

"Granted, being one of three leaders is already hard enough, you having additional jobs made it that much harder on you"

"Exactly, as is being human, my shifts are much shorter because I am physically incapable of staying up as long as you guys"

"Well we're going to take security measures so that this doesn't happen again, for now though Allison you need sleep you've been up working late a lot lately between your three jobs"

"Okay, yeah I'm tired alright, so I'll do as you ask, but I  _am_  going to be part of the announcement when you reveal Galvatron's alive and that I'm stepping down from a leadership role"

Three days later and the world received the shock of Galvatron being alive, they did  _not_  tell the full story since they weren't cleared to know the full truth but Allison did mention she was fading into the background, the world knew at least, that she helped the EDC in ways they weren't fully aware of, though they knew she was currently one of the public faces and as such figured that she was simply saying that she would let others be the public face  _not_  that she was no longer going to be one of the leaders of Cybertron

"Now then, I will do this in a couple of stages so that Galvatron can settle back into his duties without too severe an interruption, as such any questions directed to Galvatron will be redirected to me period for a solid week, and slowly Galvatron will answer all of them like before, I will also handle any  _emergency_  duties that require travel within a certain radius of my primary job until further notice as well"

"Paperwork?"

"Paperwork, he'll need to focus on that for a bit until he's all caught up"

Suddenly the conference was under attack by primarily human terrorists, but there were also a couple of EDC enemies and all combatants used alien weaponry

"Right, plan b is now in full motion"

"What's plan b?"

"Get those I can out of the area to a better location and  _secure_   _it_ by being _armed to the teeth_ "

Galvatron made a remark in such a mild voice it was almost,  _almost_  missed by everyone, unfortunately due to the fact that he had only just been returned to them they were going to have to get used to such things once more and thus it was noticed

"Wow, I haven't seen Allison in that kind of mood in a while"

"You've missed much in your absence Galvatron, because trust me if you  _had_  been here for what we've been through you would have seen several outbursts of mine over the past many months you've been gone"

"In any case you're going to need to use your abilities and you know what that means"

"Emergency clearance, I added  _that_  little detail six years ago without you knowing about it, and it's allowed since I'm a legal adult"

"Fine, for now get moving, we'll cover you as best as we can"

"I know, make sure that the first fifteen feet are the most covered, that's the soonest I can take over"

"Understood Kerenai, you call us with your location when you can so that we can send help once we're able to is that understood?"

"Understood Prime"

As the last of the stragglers got to her she had to use her abilities like she knew she would and decided to start with one of her smaller attacks as a test to see just how weak the enemy was

"Arranyan energy ball!"

With a snap of her fingers in one hand and her hand as if holding a ball a thing of energy formed into her hand which  _crackled_  with energy, unfortunately it didn't do as much damage as she'd hoped letting her know that she needed stronger attacks which were also more damaging but she had no choice, and by the time she got to the safety area she was tired and reduced to common weaponry. She was actually tired enough that to most people she was half asleep not realizing that what they were seeing was conservation of energy and that she would snap to full attention at a moments notice at any little noise that could be taken for an enemy getting too close, because she was too tired to activate her shields and she knew it, when she heard the scrapping sounds of rubble she was instantly on alert but immediately stood down when she recognized who was in front of her, which was police officers and paramedics

"Hey, all civilians safe, need sleep, EDC energy drip, night"

A paramedic goes over to the unconscious Kerenai and checks for a pulse

"She's out cold but okay, her pulse is strong and steady"

"She said something about an EDC energy drip"

(Sighs) "OK she needs an EDC base then, right now the hospitals have zero access to those energy drips even if normally they do"

"Why don't they?"

"Something about Africa and Australia combined"

"Oh...those disasters"

"Exactly"

"Get one of the Cybertronians and let them know what's happened to Kerenai"

"She's their responsibility isn't she?"

"Uh yeah, considering things that civilians may not be cleared for despite what I heard was emergency clearance for what she did to protect them"

"Police officer, I know what you're avoiding saying and I agree with you there, I'll radio them and let them know Kerenai's unconscious"

The paramedic still with the ambulance speaks up then

"No need, looks like they anticipated this possibility, I see Ratchet and...yep that's Rumble coming our way"

Once Ratchet arrived they put Allison in his ambulance form and he took her to the base and immediately had her on the EDC energy drip seeing as how the EDC was fully aware of the fact that the hospital had none of the drips available having sent them to Africa and Australia when asked

"She's going to be out cold for at least the rest of the day if not into tomorrow"

"Her job isn't going to be too happy with us"

"No kidding, unfortunately things are the way they are, and if they watched the news they'll know it's not her fault or ours that this happened"

"True enough"

Ultimately Allison would remain in the hospital unconscious for a week, but that was because she had unknowingly been hit during the evacuation and had unknown sedation drugs coursing through her system for two days before the discovery was made. The unknown drugs combined with hospital drugs meant she was out of it for longer than she normally would have been under that situation but her job while not exactly happy with how long she was out of it didn't blame the hospital or the EDC knowing that it was an unfortunate circumstance that lead to her current situation

"So...are you cleared for duty?"

"Yes sir I am indeed cleared for duty, but I have Reserve training to do before I get back to Texas Ranger duty"

"Right, still Galvatron was certainly a surprise, by the way where does that put Lucas in the chain of command?"

"Same as before, especially if I am dealing with military duty, primarily because of my connection to the Cybertronians"

"Fine, wait...what's your official rank anyways?"

"My  _official_  rank is Lt., however you know full well that in an EDC situation that goes out the window and I take charge as senior officer, this is because of not only what I dealt with for almost a year but procedures that were in place long before then"

"Wait, why haven't you been promoted since you gained that rank?"

"Per my own request and Presidential permission, I'm not getting into why I did that by the way"

"Fine"

During training the next week most of the soldiers had problems since they were learning about alternative transportation methods, but Tonto and Allison were right at home on the saddle and horse

"This is our main mode of transportation right now in Texas since we still have about another two to three years before the roads are completely fixed"

"One would think your family would help fix the roads faster"

"They've done what they can but...we need to do the majority of the work ourselves, if not for their help though it would definitely take about seven to ten years before the roads were fixed"

"In any case, we're struggling with this alternative mode of transportation while you and Tonto have taken to it like you're a natural"

"When you use it regularly you take to it no matter what horse you're riding or what type of saddle you're on either"

"Guess so, how do you keep your driving skills up?"

"We have our means of doing so, all those who are capable of driving have our means of keeping our skills up in that department"

"Fine, by the way I have just received new orders, apparently training has been extended beyond the normal weekend for reasons that the President isn't going to disclose right now"

(Sighs) "I am starting to get annoyed with that to be honest, he knows, he  _knows_  I need to keep to weekend schedule unless we're being activated for whatever reason"

"Take it easy Kerenai, the reason he isn't going to disclose it is because he's coming to tell us the reason behind the extended training in person"

"Fine, better be good"

The day before training would normally be over with the President came and explained why the training had been extended and it was a reason that was very, very valid

"I know that people need to get back to their jobs but unfortunately that's not possible, the reason training has been extended is because of potential trouble in Italy and the Mediterranean sea of either the kind from Greece or Croatia, and alternative means of transportation will have to be used, thus why you're learning more than just driving skills, you're learning how to ride horses and later you're going to be riding donkeys, I  _might_ also have you learn how to ride camels just in case you need to go into desert territory but not right now that training will be if you do have to do so. However until we know otherwise you'll be getting training in multiple things, not just alternative transportation"

"Can we call our jobs to explain the delay?"

"Not quite, Kerenai can explain the delay in more detail than the rest of you guys can since your civilian jobs have no similarities to the military job you have, all I'm allowing the rest of you to say is that the President has extended training because he has concerns regarding your ability to handle alternative means of transportation"

"Right, is EDC intervention needed?"

"Not that I'm aware of Kerenai, if it is needed I'll make that call understood?"

"Unless it's an emergency I understand"

"Granted, that's always been the exception to my calling in the EDC"

Allison then looked directly at Tonto and switched to Russian

*Tonto, if something happens to me on the mission, no matter what you're told do  _not_  believe my death until you have definitive proof otherwise, however the rest of the unit is not to know, pass the word on to my family, John and Dan if necessary about me not actually being dead. I can't get into much detail primarily because this is just a feeling of mine but I think we might run into trouble which will force me to act on my own and be thought dead by everyone, however after what's happened with Galvatron recently I can't do that to my family*

*What about the President?*

*He can't be told the truth either because my bad feeling comes with some of his aides and other advisers, the Secret Service doesn't give me any bad vibes but some of the others in the current entourage...*

*Understood*

Suddenly they hear the President clearing his throat and they realize that he wasn't happy with the language switch which meant secrecy

"Sorry sir, but I needed to tell Tonto something in private"

"Fine, I'm just glad this doesn't happen often"

"If not for certain family issues that need to remain private I would have alerted you as well sir"

"I know, I even know why Tonto is informed when most people aren't including me"

"Well for now are we being posted some where's or are we simply doing near constant training?"

"Two more weeks of alternative transportation training and then depending on what happens next I will give you guys a posting near where you're probably going to be needed"

"Right, in the meantime people have families to call"

"Right, training is over for the day then so that everyone has time to make the needed phone calls, Tonto has three different calls to make because of his situation, Kerenai has...four I believe"

"Nope, two because John and Dan know I'm in the same unit as Tonto and as such if his training is extended that automatically means that except in certain circumstances my training is also extended"

"Wait, how come those two have more calls than the rest of us?"

"Jobs and family, if not for Tonto I would be calling four different locations instead of two"

"Still might have to actually Kerenai"

"What do you mean sir?"

(Sighs) "Congress is unfortunately thinking of creating a new policy for Reserve soldiers in this situation, I haven't received word yet on if it's been passed or not but you might want to do so anyways just in case the policy has been passed"

"What policy exactly?"

"That each soldier has to personally inform family and jobs, even if some of them have the same acquaintances like you and Tonto"

"Okay, what gave Congress that brilliant idea?"

"No idea, but it's causing headaches already"

"Right, by the way only use Tonto and my cell phone since I know for a fact that they're secure I do  _not_  trust base phones for this right now"

"You two first then since they're your phones"

"Right"

Allison dials a number and immediately switches to Cybertronian since she called the base first

*It's Kerenai, possible human trouble in Italy and the Mediterranean sea from Greece and Croatia so for now we're finishing alternative transport training and after that we might get posted to a staging area close to possible trouble*

Once that finishes she basically says the same thing to her job, and as for Dan and John who she called personally despite knowing that Tonto would have let them know also all she said was that she was training with Tonto still. Once those two were done with their phone calls they passed their phones around and made sure that nothing more than the fact that training had been extended by the President for his own reasons was spread by them

"Right, now that that's settled we have the rest of the day to relax"

They spent the rest of the day relaxing and then went back to the same routine, two weeks later they were officially being posted in Spain because the trouble was becoming worse, and then Allison was officially ordered to do solo scouting starting in Rome and she officially found out what had happened with both Greece and Croatia and realized that there was big trouble of the EDC kind because she ran into hidden Greek and Croatian soldiers during her scouting mission who spoke in English about how they were under the thumb of EDC enemies and unable to call for help, that what they were doing in Italy was the best they could do. That was because in Italy they were "terrorists" in their acts of bombing places not inhabited and speaking in their native languages as a hint, but they were also well aware that they would be forced to hurt innocent people and soon, that revelation left Allison cursing under her breath in Cybertronian for a good ten minutes and thus she immediately got back to Spain and informed the President about the situation

"I was beginning to wonder about the silence from those two countries because I was thinking about talking to them about the UN meeting that's upcoming since I wanted to discuss new trading treaties during that time period"

"Call my family and let them know the situation, my unit will be told by me and I'll specialize some training until we're told it's go time"

"Right, I'm surprised you didn't do it yourself"

"Nothing I can do immediately so I figured I might as well let you inform them instead of dealing with the various channels I would have to go through to get them active in this assignment"

"Understood, do you need anything to train the unit?"

"No, Tonto and I can get things going in that regard"

"Fine, if you do end up needing supplies France will have them"

"Understood sir"

Allison then leaves the communication room


	30. Chapter 30

"Tonto! Captain! I can answer the questions you have, because we need to talk"

"Yes, yes we do"

"Your office sir, it's the most secure location besides a locked down comms room"

They go to the office and the Captain immediately goes behind his desk and is all business

"Okay Kerenai what's going on?"

"EDC enemies sir, and the three of us have to prepare the rest of the unit"

"You sure about this?"

"Oh yeah, Greek and Croatian soldiers mentioned being under the thumb of said enemies and I independently confirmed it"

"Right, you and Tonto have the most training against EDC enemies, but I'll help you set up the training for the rest, including me"

"Thanks, fortunately Tonto and I can easily make preparations through secret means given to me by my family"

"Fine, when do we get started?"

When Allison and Tonto both smirk he realizes that he shouldn't have asked that question

"Now since you asked so nicely"

The Captain gulps and realizes that he was asking for it, but he was also wondering what they could do with no supplies, at least he thought that there were no supplies, he didn't think about dodge training that they could give at any given time with their bow and arrows, especially since Allison could create arrows at a moments notice, arrows that Tonto could use and remain very much solid once created, one of the few weapons that did so when created by her powers. Three hours and plenty of exhausted soldiers later the Captain called a truce so that they could eat and the unit could be given explanations as to why the two had supposedly gone crazy all of a sudden

"Okay, what was that all about?"

"Dodge training, you're going to be going up against EDC enemies within a week or two and as such you need to learn how to dodge weaponry from the weapons that they can use, there's other training you'll also be doing starting tomorrow, but dodge training is easy to do with a bow and arrows"

"We're in trouble aren't we?"

"Yes, but only if you don't take to the training and get yourself killed in battle, hopefully the training Tonto and I give you prevents that"

Ultimately it would take a solid month before the EDC could send help, but that was because quite frankly everyone was  _busy_  making sure that the EDC enemies didn't discover what they were up to in regards to the two countries under enemy control, but everyone could tell that Allison was  _not happy_  when she saw two of her family together

"Prowl, Barricade what are you both doing here?"

"Galvatron's orders Allison, otherwise Barricade would be in New York City right now, oh and you're about to be even more unhappy"

"What for?"

"Um...I have just two different things to tell you all triple changers and both city-formers"

" _All of them_? I would think that they would be smarter than that"

"Be glad they didn't also send the combiner teams"

(Sighs) "Okay it is what it is, however  _I_ give the orders and if I feel they need sent back they're going back with a message from me"

"Why do you give orders?"

"Not now Captain, just trust my family and I that I know what I'm doing"

"Fine, so time to free the two countries?"

"Yes it's...oh okay that's why that many were sent and why we have the triple changers, particularly Astrotrain"

"And the city-formers?"

"One country each"

"But Kerenai..."

"No but Kerenai Prowl, you know what the enemy is like, you know that we need to separate our forces as evenly as possible"

"Fine, don't think I'm happy about this though because from what we can tell Greece will be the harder of the two countries, thus why I want both city-formers there"

"I know, unfortunately while that may be true I still feel it best we spread our forces as evenly as possible in case of any surprises, because we may have been preparing for a month but you can never know what the enemy has been doing in secret"

"Guess that makes sense, tonight then?"

"Tomorrow night, sorry Ally but we need rest desperately"

Allison then scans her family with her special contacts and her voice suddenly goes scary cold to most people

"Prowl, has everyone on Earth done what this particular team done this entire time?"

"Yes, we all have run ourselves to exhaustion and bare minimum recovery time"

She's so angry that she switches to Cybertronian automatically without thinking about the rest of her unit

*You  _complete idiots_ , some of the group fighting here and a few others I expect on occasion considering the situation, but everyone on Earth shouldn't have done so  _especially_  the Primes and Galvatron, tell them that I am  _not_  happy with any of my family right now, and if I find out you did this again over the next six months all of you are going to regret doing this procedure*

She continued the rant for another five minutes before she finally apparently lost steam by sighing and switching back to English

"Do you guys have Energon to replenish yourselves?"

"No, we need your supplies to do so"

"Fine, we'll get together tomorrow once it's time for the mission"

With that Allison gave a sharp turn and left letting her family know in no uncertain terms just how angry she was at them with putting themselves in their current condition, which meant she wouldn't talk to them until the designated time, partly to cool down and partly as a lesson, during her own personal training, particularly during a sword kata she thought back to the past when she had tried to bluff criminals, this was because she had overheard a conversation while training

_Past_

Allison was in town getting supplies when suddenly there was a bank robbery

"Blast it, me without a gun"

Allison dived for cover and waited until the shooting stopped before getting the supplies back to camp, the next day she went back to town to try and find clues and overheard a conversation that interested her greatly, when the person left town she would follow five minutes later and managed to find the outlaws, she stalled them and then when it became obvious that they were going to leave she decided to try a tactic that had worked a couple of times before but was never guaranteed to work

"You won't get away with this"

"How sure about that are you?"

"I told the Sheriff about you guys, him and a posse are already on their way, I left them a trail so obvious even someone who doesn't know a thing about tracking can find it, I expect them any minute now" (thinks) " _please don't call my bluff_ "

"So the Sheriff and a posse are close behind and will hear a shot"

"Yeah, they will"

"I doubt it"

Suddenly Allison was shot in the leg and left to die because the criminals called her bluff, because the Sheriff being behind her  _was_  a bluff, she had told the Sheriff about her suspicions but she hadn't been believed due to being a kid. The EDC officers with her believed her despite not being with her at the time but they had their reasons to believe her and as such they were doing what they could to gain evidence in town, and that meant help was too far away and she would bleed to death, or so she thought because the Lone Ranger and Tonto were actually also in the area and had been close enough to hear the shot and when they saw who it was, and the fact that she was alone they were worried, and did what they could to help her since she was unconscious by that time

"What now Kemosabe?"

"Now we simply wait and hope she recovers, we don't know where they're camped so we can't let the rest of the group know what's happened"

When they heard hoof beats they got Allison to cover and remained hidden until they saw that it was a posse primarily made up of the time displaced EDC officers, but there was a sheriff and a couple of others from town because when the criminals had left Allison for dead they had gone to their headquarters briefly and then went back into town causing destruction which called for a posse to be quickly formed. When they came from their cover they were almost shot if not for the EDC officers giving the Lone Ranger time to talk, fortunately while they had never actually met the sheriff the sheriff had heard of him from the previous sheriff who  _had_  known them

"We should have listened to the kid"

"Speaking of, did either of you see her?"

"Yes, she's in the trees, hurt pretty badly"

"Right, Parker, Carl you both stay here while we go on following the trail these crooks have made"

"Right, you two give her treatment until we arrived?"

"We did what we could anyways"

"We know, Tonto give Allison drinks with healing herbs?"

"No, but he did find healing herbs to put on the wound"

"Right, we'll take over now then"

"We'll see you guys later"

"Right Lone Ranger, and...thanks again"

"Last time?"

"Last time, and this time, even if it went unsaid this time"

"We really need to get going"

"Right"

Several hours later the group came back to where Allison and the two EDC officer were at currently and everyone, but especially the Lone Ranger and Tonto were relieved to see that Allison was awake, still weak and tired easily but conscious and able to be moved into town, she had basically passed the crises point because she had also been feverish the entire time the Lone Ranger and Tonto had been with her due to infection of the wound, the fever had been a grave concern but during the search the fever had finally broken. Over the next ten days there was an ebb and flow of Allison's recovery where she would gain ground and then lose it through pushing herself, combined with the fact that it was winter and the cold was going around, that also caused her to lose ground for three days, but finally she was recovered and they were on their way once more

_Present_

After finishing both her kata and reflection Allison spent the rest of the day reading and relaxing. The next day once it was time for the actual planning she got together with her family and started healing the small rift between them. Finally it was time to make the attack and it was fast, furious and deadly on both sides, primarily human casualties, and even then it wasn't catastrophic loss, they ultimately lost three soldiers and fifteen police officers who had decided to join the fight without proper preparation, but they also managed to kill one of Allison's family members, however that member was young relatively speaking and not used to combat, as for the enemy there were very very few prisoners, ultimately totaling out to ten between the two countries since some of the enemy died in hospital

"Well, at least human casualties aren't too severe"

"Agreed, Prowl...I'm sorry about yesterday"

"It's okay Ally, we know you worry about us and when you heard we were neglecting our health it was the tipping point that set you off after your stress that's been building this entire time"

"For now let the rest of the family know my reaction and how unhappy I am about the situation, and that you're all on parole, another incident like this and you  _won't_  like what will happen"

"You're in leadership mode right now"

"Blame the one's who captured Galvatron, I'm not far enough removed from leadership duties, and even then you  _know_  how I react to a possible threat to family, that's been a long established pattern"

"You're right, well for now we need to get going"

"I know, I'll be following soon after, still need to do some clean up duties"

"Your job is going to be  _very_  relieved to hear that you're coming home"

"No kidding, I'm happy to be going home myself"

"See you in the States"

"See you in the States"

A week later things had settled enough that Allison was back in the States and doing her job as a Texas Ranger, but she was on  _light_  duty due to hair trigger reflexes still going off at the slightest sound which meant she wasn't battle safe, with her military unit that wasn't a problem since all soldiers had been taught to give her an ally signal when getting close to her since they understood what long term scouting in enemy territory could do to a person. Due to her reflexes she had voluntarily surrendered her gun to her Captain explaining it was safer she didn't have a gun on her until her reflexes were back under complete control, control she had learned over many years with living with the Cybertronians

"Kerenai are you certain you'll know when you can have your gun again?"

"Yes, this has happened before, maybe not quite to this extreme but I have had to give up my gun because of reflexes being off for a bit after an incident"

"Very well, once that happens I will allow you back on full duty but until then..."

"I know, it's better this ways"

"Exactly"

"By the way, I'm going to be immersed in the journals for a bit, the radio..."

"Flashback?"

"Flashback, big time, and unfortunately I think only the journal will help bring me fully back into the present seeing as how I am  _longing_  to hear Arizona's voice again, even if it's through his writing"

"You see him don't you?"

"Yes, I do, even though he's long dead"

"Thus the journal need"

"Yep, read the report from the last time this happened didn't you?"

"Yes, you  _scared_  them at the time"

"Scared myself too in all honesty"

"I'll leave you be then"

Allison picks up a random journal and then opened it to a random page


	31. Chapter 31

_Day 1159_

I hate criminals even more now, especially criminals who decide to go on a rampage against sheriffs and marshals. I've been trailing one such killer with the help of the Secret Service for three months now and I am wishing that we had Tonto since we've lost the trail a couple of times only to pick it back up once another killing has happened. The Secret Service will kill if they can since the reason they got involved was the fact that the President was almost killed in their presence and that made them angry, even if it's years into the future before protection is mandatory the President of now wants them for a bit so he has them. At least I had a blacksmith available in the last town able to repair the gift that Allison left behind, which while I'm comfortable using now I don't often since I don't want to lose it which almost happened a couple of months ago, that time the blacksmith wasn't sure if they could fix the damage done in battle but they managed, but it was weaker than before, this blacksmith corrected that problem, but warned me that the repair might not last so I was to still be careful

Allison continued to read the journal over the next few days and things settled down in regards to pushing her memories back to the recces of her mind. What they didn't realize was that reading the journals helped ground her in another way, it helped her subconsciously realize that she was home and safe since she didn't have the journals with her this time due to her scouting mission and once she was on base for a month she didn't think about asking for the electronic copies that Tonto kept with him since she also deliberately left her own electronic copies behind just in case she had been captured during her scouting half of the mission. It would take another two weeks but finally she was settled back in completely and allowed back her weapon

"Looks like things can finally get back to normal"

"Agreed, by the way what's this I hear about the road project being delayed and it going to take another five or so years before the roads are completely fixed?"

"I don't know, but what I  _do_  know is that I should have been informed of such things"

Six phone calls later and they had the full story behind the road delay, it turned out that money and people were short on supply so there would now be breaks between work periods thus increasing the time it took to finish reconstructing the road structure that had been  _obliterated_  when the state had been invaded. The EDC had offered to help with the costs but the state had refused, having pride enough to not want help unless absolutely necessary in the process of rebuilding their state

"Well, that explains things, might also explain a request my friends and I received recently too"

"Still Texan pride can possibly be our downfall"

"Maybe not, if it's managed correctly the extension might actually be beneficial"

"Even if part of the problem is funds?"

"Yes, it's tricky but doable"

"You sure of that?"

"Quite sure, don't forget what my true rank within the Cybertronians was for a time, I had to deal with a  _very_  tight budget, and managed to get jobs done with a budget cut in half if not more in places, and done  _safely_ "

"Fine, for now there's a bank robbery that we need to take care of"

"The FBI?"

"Asked for us"

"Right, it makes sense since we're the horse riders and can go all over the state and have jurisdiction, though if it crosses state lines they're the ones primarily in charge and doing the main coordination"

Suddenly though it fully clicks

"Wait...why are we getting the aftermath of a bank robbery instead of responding to an active situation?"

"Too fast for police response, they were quick and unfortunately well coordinated in that we don't even have a vehicle description"

"Makes sense then"

"Oh and by the way you're going to be the primary liaison between us and the FBI"

"Understood sir, was that part of their request?"

"No, I just made that decision based on the fact that we need a liaison and with your skills you're the best person besides Lucas to do so and I need Lucas in another place right now"

"Right, I'll go and set things up right away Captain"

She is soon at the bank and quickly establishes herself as the liaison between the FBI and the Texas Rangers, giving them information about possible hiding places and also getting them access to horses for those who ride and officers who also ride for the agents who had no clue how to ride horses

"If it leaves the state you're in charge, but we have the better advantage in regards to being able to ride horses in the state's current condition"

"Right, by the way if needed I'm authorized to give Texas Rangers, and  _only_  Texas Rangers federal authority"

"What for?"

"Um...something about, and I apologize for butchering this since I don't know Russian but something about masterstvo vervoy yedy i strel'ba and also knowing the lay of the land beyond the state due to the invasion a couple of years ago"

"Close enough in pronunciation, but it's actually pronounced мастерство верховой езды и стрельба and yeah that lay of the land thing was made mandatory after the disaster called invasion"

"But beyond Texas?"

"Um...that's something I am going to have to keep private due to security reasons"

"Fine"

Three weeks later and the bank robbery was safely resolved and things went back to status quo in regards to the powers of the Texas Rangers who did ultimately have to use their federal authority in order to arrest fifteen of the twenty-eight robbers that were found in Arkansas, that was due to the fact that the group had split up partially after a second bank robbery and went into two different states

"Okay, now that we've got that settled I need to tell you that Reserve training is coming up again"

"But Kerenai..."

"Sorry but it is what it is"

"Can't you leave the Reserves by now?"

"I am coming up on needing to make that decision once more, but...I have my reasons for staying in the Reserves for a few years longer at least, for now I can get in trouble if I don't report for duty"

"Is it at least in the states this time?"

"Most likely, but we'll have to wait and see"

"Fine I know I don't have any control over the situation"

"Exactly, the President is the one ultimately in charge, especially for Tonto and I for reasons that you're aware of Captain"

"Lucas in charge if an EDC situation pops up?"

"Exactly"

"So, you leaving end of the week?"

"Three days from now"

"Three...I never received the message"

"You should have considering the policy I set up a long time ago, might need to talk to the President and see if it was simple forgetfulness this time instead of things starting to slip through the cracks"

"Tell SWAT?"

"He got his orders already somehow, like I said I'm probably going to need to talk to POTUS about what had happened"

Ultimately it turned out that the problem wasn't on the military side but the police side because the message had arrived in plenty of time, but a younger officer who was...annoyed with the military constantly taking police officers away (they didn't understand the concept of military reserves in the way most people did due to personal things in their lives) kept the messages from those who needed the messages in a timely manner which got the officers in the reserves in trouble, but the President himself lessened the punishments when he found out what had happened, including reversing two dishonorable discharges and giving those two soldiers the option of rejoining in the ranks they had been dismissed from which they had taken having wanted to do one last round of reserve service before retiring from the military. As for how the SWAT member had managed to get orders, it happened in a convoluted way, Dan had heard from Tonto about the upcoming training and the SWAT member was meeting with Dan for lunch as they had become friends after Dan had helped the SWAT member's sister, as such he knew what was needed and told his Captain, even if official orders were never actually received the SWAT member was with the Texas Rangers at the right time

"So, Tonto came back with you for a reason"

"He told me that Dallas requested temporary transfers from nearby towns and cities on a rotating schedule since Dallas understands that they need to get back to their family's and jobs in their original places for some reason"

"Yeah, Dallas paramedics have been  _hurt_ recently, one might possibly die"

"Why haven't I gotten those reports before now?"

"Um...leadership duties combined with other duties"

"Captain..."

"Sorry, I know I should have told you but I thought things would resolve themselves before you found out in some way"

"You know the rules, follow them please"

"I will, just didn't think that you needed the additional stress was all"

"Well for now I need to get Tonto an apartment since he decided that he's going to be one of the more long term transfers"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I learned that the temp paramedics generally only stay for two weeks, three at the most, he's planning on staying for three months or more depending on what happens on shift, and that's a good thing actually seeing as how as a combat paramedic in the military he needs to keep his skills up and Austin isn't cutting it right now in training hours off duty, Dallas has more opportunities in that regards"

"Wait just using his paramedic skills isn't enough?"

"Not with certain skills, normally the hospital in Austin works but they just cut everyone's working hours in half and has spread their workforce across the state during a rebuilding project"

"The war?"

"Nope, something about defective wire codes and gas pipes, apparently during the rebuild originally after the fight for Texas was over things got a little...complicated with building codes being followed so the state has given everyone five years to get things back up to code, places like hospitals, doctors offices and police stations naturally had to get up to code within a year and then inspected before being allowed to open, but apparently things were missed during the inspection that were caught this time around during an emergency check after that storm they just had that knocked out power to the entire building for five hours, backup generator worked for the emergency department, ICU and surgical bays but all non essential areas shut down during that time period"

"And that kind of thing takes time so everyone is scrambling for temporary solutions until the problems get resolved"

"Exactly and the cut hours and jobs at the actual hospital are part of the temporary solution, Tonto volunteered to be one of the paramedics to simply move to a temporary location until he received word that the hospital was back to normal operations"

"And Dallas accepted him"

"Exactly"

"Very well, if there are problems you tell me is that understood Kerenai?"

"Completely sir"

"For now back to work"

"Right"

Six months later and Tonto was back in Austin having kept up specific training in Dallas when not doing Reserve training. The two of them also got together regularly for shooting contests both with their guns and with the bow and arrow, though they occasionally added SWAT and the EDC to the bow and arrow competitions to make sure that  _they_  were keeping up their skills with that particular weapon since they used their guns more regularly

"So, bow and arrow contests"

"Hey, we had to measure our skills somehow, and make sure that the EDC and SWAT were keeping up their skills as well since we don't work with them on a regular enough basis to see them practicing their skills and as such they might not keep their skills up with a weapon they don't use normally like they should with this kind of weapon"

"That makes sense in a weird sort of way"

Suddenly the radios went wild with multiple reports of various problems that  _everyone_  needed to respond to, and Allison would be the most helpful in one particular situation  _because_  of the bow and arrow skills that she had

"Okay, you guys know the routine by now if I use the bow and arrow"

"Be ready for puncture wounds and don't touch the arrow because of potential bleed out"

"Well...you can break the arrow in such a way that it makes it easier for transport but either than that you  _never_  move something that punctures skin as deep as an arrow does, don't know why I have to remind everyone of basic first aid"

"Oh it's not us that need reminding, it's civilians that get involved, we have you go over the routine now so that we know what medical supplies we might need"

"That makes a weird sense that I never thought of before to be honest"

"Thought so"

"For now, on my signal I want those phones  _jammed_  and I don't mean the usual jamming, I mean the type of jamming where even normal police radios don't work"

"But the police radios now have..."

"I know what they have, don't forget who I truly am, but there are ways to circumvent short wave radios with that technology temporarily, and yet still allow them to send a message after a certain distance, and we've modified the jamming so that if you use the radio as a Morse code messenger the signal still gets through, even if most people will not understand the actual message"

"We were never taught how to circumvent that tech Kerenai"

"I could have sworn...I'll figure everything else out later, for now just pay close attention to what I do in the hopes that you have even a  _slight_  idea how to undo what's done"

Eventually the crises was resolved and three of the five criminals had puncture wounds, two in the shoulders and one in the leg, the only reason the other two didn't have puncture wounds was because they surrendered peacefully an hour before the arrows were sent flying

"These puncture wounds are starting to get annoying to the doctors whenever it comes from a police officer by the way"

"Don't care, it gets people into custody alive considering that with weapons on us police officers we generally shoot to kill"

"Hey we use our tasers"

"Occasionally yes, but you guys tend to do overkill lately, ever since the invasion if I'm going to be honest, and depending on the situation I'm not much better but I have  _military_  training to back me up on when and when not to use lethal force and to keep myself under control"

"Did you forget to add for the most part?"

"No, I didn't, I mean that I have that with me at all times, you just  _think_  I'm going to use lethal force when I bring out my gun, but I am actually using the EDC tranquilizer bullets nine times out of ten"

"Wait, how come we don't notice a difference then?"

"Not your business, but if you're wondering about if I really do need to shoot to kill, it's very easy to switch to the lethal bullets"

"Wait...I thought the bullets were still in the testing phase"

"They are, but think about it and you'll understand why I'm part of the testing phase"

"We know who you are, but they don't normally let police test their stuff even if you're their daughter they restrict you in ways that you're well aware of"

"It's not just the police that these bullets are being tested, I was given these bullets because of the fact that I'm also in the military, they're checking dosage issues between normal criminals and very, very determined terrorists or the like and also a difference between the different EDC enemies"

"Oh...you know I don't normally think about the fact that they might ask a military officer to test something in the civilian world if possible"

"Thus not factoring in the military aspect of who I am"

"So you were talking about being in the Reserves, not who raised you"

"Exactly"

"Keeping that straight can get very confusing at times"

"Not me, but I've lived with it practically my whole life, we...may need to develop a system to let fellow officers know when I'm talking about my military aspect or family aspect for conversations, oh and like I said I'm talking to someone about you guys not getting the jamming training you're supposed to have gotten when the new system went into place"

"Might, for now though the situation needs reports written up and you're right, that discussion does need to happen if we're supposed to be training to circumvent our own radios in certain situations"

"Then we'd best be getting on our ways, by the way injured are to report to the hospital ASAP, don't care if it's minor, lately minor injuries have been more serious than believed once checked"

After several days of investigation Allison was finally told that the reason officers hadn't gotten the needed training was because of paperwork issues that seriously delayed their training, because the EDC had sent the paperwork needed to give the officers the training they needed but unfortunately there was serious backlog due to the rebuilding still needed so that particular paperwork had yet to go through

(Sighs) "Why do I get the feeling that the rebuilding process is going to remain fraught with complications well within the ten year minimum period my family asked for?"

The next day she reported what had happened to her Captain and soon established a routine over the next five out of the ten years that her family wanted her to remain in place, which was good for the state in it's rebuilding phase because she was able to occasionally devote her Reserve training time to rebuilding the roads and teaching younger people who may not have remembered cars to drive, and eased the transition from horseback riding back to vehicle driving for those who  _did_  remember how to drive. She and the other three had also started to do tricks to help prevent people from finding out that they weren't aging like normal people did

"Things sure have taken a long time to rebuild"

"The damage was great, and Texas too proud to accept outside help frequently enough to speed the process decently. This is why my family insisted on us staying for ten years minimum most likely"

"Another five years then huh?"

"Yes another five years"

"At least we're finally almost done with rebuilding the state"

"True enough, but there's still work to do until it's completed"

"Not much though"

"I know, it's not much but still it's work"

Suddenly Allison's phone rang and whatever Allison heard told them that it wasn't good news, though what it was exactly they weren't sure about

"Kerenai?"

"A bomb went off during a drug raid that was happening today, three Texas Rangers and seven Dallas police officers are confirmed dead, plenty of others police and criminals alike are critically wounded, at least two Dallas officers aren't expected to survive"


	32. Chapter 32

"Funerals"

"Exactly, and John you're expected to attend at least the Ranger funerals and we're to be in dress uniform"

"Understood, um what about your family?, because I heard about that raid from Sunstreaker"

"I don't know, and the only reason they're even involved is because some of the drugs are suspected to be alien drugs created by EDC enemies"

"Oh okay"

"By the way I just heard from Ratchet about you Dan, miss another appointment and you're going to learn what he does to human patients, what he needed to see you about is your business since I know it's not about the annual physical"

"Sorry, I thought the hospital had called him like I asked, I'll explain things to him myself"

"Okay, for now John and I have preparations to make and I need to go to the hospital to check on my fellow Rangers myself and receive orders from my Captain, one of the ones hurt, though not as bad as a couple of others"

"Wait, the funerals won't be for a couple of days yet"

"True, but Dan, Tonto there are other preparations that you're not aware of since you're not police officers"

"But I..."

"No Tonto, our military funeral preparations are different from police preparations, especially because all you've dealt with are combat funerals and not the funerals done at home"

"Fine, you know what to do better than me I guess, I'll see if I can attend any myself, I'll be in the appropriate clothes, which I hate"

"Nobody likes those clothes for that situation, but weddings also have those clothes"

"True enough, for now though it's time to split up for a time"

"Exactly, and John I am  _not_  kidding when I tell you that the family is going to be involved in the funerals and will be checking your own health discreetly, as such you'd better hope you're relatively healthy since the checkup and that the Captain doesn't get too mad about what happened to the dress uniform the last time you had to wear it"

"Not my fault"

"I know that, but the Captain doesn't know yet and may not understand"

"Fine, hospital for you?"

"Yep, hospital for me, once I receive my orders I have the same preparations as you John"

"Right, the one downside to being a visitor in the city, while I normally have authority my Captain specified that I am not to become a Texas Ranger on this vacation for some strange reason"

"I know why and unfortunately I'm under orders not to tell you, however for a funeral depending on the situation you may be called to be part of the 21 gun salute"

"Right"

Five hours later Allison had received her orders and when she wasn't at the Texas Ranger units she was in charge of the station and the emergency Texas Rangers that would be activated in this emergency situation where over half the Texas Rangers were down and out either due to death or injury, primarily injury fortunately

_Five hours earlier_

"Sir, John is here, does this mean that he's to be part of the 21 gun salute?"

"Yes, we should have at least  _one_  Texas Ranger involved in the salute, fortunately you'll have several Rangers helping you until I am cleared for duty, including some in the hospital today"

"Sir?"

"Turns out that some are just here overnight for observation due to smoke inhalation, and two are being treated for mild flash blindness, those two will be off duty for a couple of days and may be in here for two days but otherwise they'll be fine, the rest of us however..."

"I know, I saw video and how badly some of them have been burned"

"Who gave you video?"

"Sideswipe"

"Oh, okay that make sense"

"You're going to have to be the one to make arrangements for the funerals by the way"

"Understood sir"

_Present_

(Sighs) "Okay, time for a break because I am getting nowhere's in getting the final arrangements made"

An hour later and she was back at trying to make the needed preparations, it didn't help that they had not made their wishes public on their files, but eventually she got the information she needed and started making the necessary calls, knowing that some arrangements were already made as police officers they were due a police funeral so that part had already gone into play, it was the rest of the arrangements that needed handled at the time

"Now that I've got that resolved I need to get sleep and start making shift schedules until further notice so that we're covered even during the funerals"

Finally the day came for the first of the funerals and during it Allison had a flashback to the day she and the other EDC officers stuck in the past had "buried" the Lone Ranger, Dan and Tonto before informing Arizona of their fate

_Past_

The group was looking at the devastation the battle had caused and knew that the town would take time to rebuild if it ever did. That's also when they made the grim discovery of their three friends apparently dead, having died in battle

"We...we need to bury them"

"We take them out of the town, bury them where they would have wanted in this place"

"Right"

They first went back to camp to make the necessary preparations when they discovered the truth, that the three were still alive but in critical condition

"We can save them but...they will be asleep for a long time"

They make the needed preparations and then "bury" them in a cave that would protect them until they woke up, making sure that the pods would alert the EDC to when they would awaken. They informed the sheriff of the town that they had buried the three the next day and then discovered that Arizona Lawson was in town. They headed him off quickly

"Arizona we need to talk to you"

"What is it?"

"Not here, we're taking you to our camp,  _now_ , there's things you need to hear from us, not the town rumors"

"I'm not liking this"

"You'll like it even less once you hear what we have to say"

And so they take Arizona to their camp and inform him of the truth about what had happened to the Lone Ranger, Tonto and Dan, including how they were alive if only just and only through technology. Two hours after they had left Arizona in their camp to mourn in private they finally had a means of getting home. They went into town and left a message for Arizona in a code that only he would understand so that he knew that they were home finally

_Present_

She finished her reflections as the funeral ended and then over the next three days attended the other two funerals of the Texas Rangers and one police officer not going back into a flashback only because she wasn't triggered again

"Kerenai, what are we going to do if a major event happens?"

"For now do the best we can, that's all we can do, the normal police will have to do the bulk of the work until we're back up to strength"

"Once that happens we're no longer Texas Rangers"

"Trust me, that's the best, now then the one complication can be my other job, that's because I am in the military Reserves, one person here already knows that because he himself is a Reserve Texas Ranger"

Suddenly a phone rang and Kerenai as the commanding officer of the Rangers took it

"Texas Rangers, Dallas division, Kerenai speaking go ahead...I see...okay...okay...understood sir...yes sir I understand...yes sir...bye"

When she puts the phone down she looks directly at the SWAT member who was also a Reserve

"You're in charge for the rest of the day at least, possibly also tomorrow, I'm needed in Washington because of the other job. My orders weren't very specific but he mentioned some sort of ceremony that I'm required to attend because it involves my unit somehow"

"Understood, I'll take care of things while you're away, though I'm surprised Lucas isn't in charge instead"

"A, he's a reserve EDC officer and B I've decided that he's second in command since he's not exactly used to being in charge of things"

"You heard about my promotion"

"It's been a long time coming to be honest, you've been the one in charge of the group for a year now, it just wasn't made official until recently"

"Though you have to admit that there was a good reason for the old Captain to hold off for as long as he did"

"Yes there was, but you could have been promoted sooner and been a co-captain"

"Well either way you know I've been promoted to Captain...I'll see what I can do about Lucas getting more command experience"

"Thanks, I know that it's weird it hasn't happened in the five years since he joined but unfortunately that's just the way things go sometimes"

"Well for now you have arrangements to make"

"Exactly"

Allison made it to Washington and discovered that the ceremony was a delayed ceremony that should have taken place three months earlier for medals, but was unfortunately delayed because of paperwork problems regarding Britain. Once the ceremony was over she personally received orders to forgo Reserve training until the Texas Rangers were completely back up to strength solidly for six months, no back and forth where they're back to full strength and then an incident happens that knocks them down for a brief period of time, actual solid strength where if an incident happened they might be down a couple of men for a few days but are back to full strength quickly enough. In exchange for not leaving the state or the Rangers though she was required to do intense training with her family once a month where they would be sending reports to him about said training

"I understand sir, who's telling Tonto?"

"Um...that's something else you need to know, he's going to be separated from the unit as well"

"Sir?"

(Sighs) "I need him to train combat medics in classes, my guy inside said that the teacher that was supposed to teach them got killed in battle, thus needing Tonto due to the retirement of the other teacher, I  _really_  don't like the situation but it is what it is"

"That means he doesn't need to know since otherwise I would have been informed that he wouldn't be with the unit for a time, what about the Captain?"

"That I am going to do later"

"Understood sir, if Tonto returns to the unit before I do who's going to tell him?"

"You, but only because of the fact that quite frankly you know full well he'll see you before returning to the unit so he might as well hear it from you in person"

"Right"

"You need to get back to Texas don't you?"

"Yes sir, I'm not surprised you heard"

"Yeah I heard, I'll make your excuses to the rest of the group, you get going, there's a military flight heading that ways in three hours, I know that because of the fact that I sent the Marines at the base nearby to the Army base for some interdepartmental training"

"Meaning you want the Marines to learn things from the Army and the Army to learn things from the Marines"

"Exactly"

"Okay I'll be there then"

She was soon on a plane back to Texas, the plane ultimately detoured and landed in Houston instead of Dallas, but that was because of weather, as such Allison drove the rest of the way home in a military vehicle with the rest of the group headed to Dallas

"Want dropped off at your place Kerenai?"

"No, I need dropped off at Ranger headquarters if possible, I sort of left my car there"

"How did you get to the airport?"

"Take a guess"

"Why did you order one of your Rangers to take you to the airport?"

"Hey, I didn't order them, one of them volunteered since they were being allowed off early anyways to pick up a couple of police officers on loan from Canada, this had been in plan before the incident by the way so having them on loan is a relief to be honest"

"Oh okay, you also need to check in with whoever's in charge don't you?"

"Well considering I'm the one in charge until everything gets resolved yeah, because I need to let the person I left in charge know I'm back and will take back my leadership duties tomorrow"

Once there she got her journals and decided to do some reading that for her was needed, because of the situation that she was currently in, as such she knew just which journal to go to and where in said journal the reading start was


	33. Chapter 33

_Day 1000_

I...HATE...RENEGADES! I don't care if they're Indians or white they're equally bad, and equally dangerous and destructive if they get their hands on gunpowder and ammunition, the Indians are also really dangerous if they get their hands on liquor which they call firewater. Due to the fact that the trouble I am currently handling started when I was at an army fort I decided to volunteer myself as a civilian scout for them until they could get things back in order in regards to supplies and personnel but as you know it's been one thing after another for the past twenty or so days now, the commanding officer of the fort will have to abandon this location soon if something doesn't change in the next month, and that will be bad for the whole area but he's legitimately out of all other options. I'm going back out tomorrow so as to start planning our routes in advance should he give the order to abandon the fort so I might as well get more sleep now

She reads for another hour before turning in herself and getting ready to lead the Texas Rangers until her Captain was back in charge and then simply serve in the Rangers until things were settled and she could get back to Reserve training

"Here's to hoping for a quick recovery of strength for everyone who survives and in how many personnel we have as Texas Rangers"

Ultimately it would take three  _years_  for things to stabilize enough to meet the required Presidential conditions, during that time Tonto almost went AWOL twice due to his concern for Allison and John and Dan both boycotted special vacations to keep a closer eye on Allison, and that was on top of her family constantly monitoring her through the required monthly training and regular phone calls when she wasn't training with them. The reason behind it taking so long was first her Captain was medically retired after getting an infection, and the replacement Captain didn't last longer than a week which started the Captain fight, then various disasters kept happening which meant that basically Allison couldn't leave, but finally things stabilized after two and a half years and remained that way for the required time period which meant that for the first time in three years Allison could train with her Reserve unit, which meant a two month training session for reintegration training

"Okay, it took  _way_  too long for you to be able to train with us again"

"Not my fault things were unstable due to a combination of rebuilding and some sort of criminal organization deciding to cause both a gang war and other forms of chaos to take over the city"

"Oh...is that why you constantly gained new Captains and Rangers?"

"Yep, trust me I was the  _only_  stabilizing force during this time period"

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Meaning I was the only one who knew the procedures and how things worked well enough to keep my particular Ranger unit functional at times, because trust me there is  _paperwork_  involved in some of what happens and I was the only one able to properly fill out Captain forms at times, it was only for this past year that we've had one continuous Captain and six months since we haven't had a drastic personnel change after a major incident"

"Fine the Presidential orders were needed but still I am not too happy about how long things took to stabilize in Dallas"

"Agreed, by the way my family  _trained_  me even more than before so I am even more dangerous than you remember me probably"

"Seriously, do they have to make you more dangerous?"

"Sorry Captain, but they're training me to  _survive_  in their world which I could end up in at any time and with the fact that we were dealing with EDC enemies semi-regularly during this period of chaos it's a good thing I had that training, Tonto my family said that they want you to get a bit more training yourself, something about having at least one person familiar with new enemies if for whatever reason I'm not available when you meet them"

"Understood, I'll see what I can arrange later"

"Good, by the way we're going to be doing power training guys, it's needed, this is because things have...changed in how things work"

"How?"

"I'm not entirely sure how to explain it except in inaccurate words of power boost and more expansive abilities"

"They've gotten stronger and you have more attacks"

"Yes and no, it's...not something easily explained I'm afraid, you're going to have to experience it to see what's going on"

"Wait...did you gain new powers and did the current powers have extended range?"

"That's closer anyways, but not entirely correct either, you  _really_  need to see the change yourselves I'm afraid, in a safe environment naturally because you  _know_  how destructive my abilities are"

When they got to the safe training area that's when they learn what's different, because yes her powers had more range, and yes she had more attacks, and yes they were stronger but it was like they were semi-sentient and could distinguish friend from foe, and allies could partially harness her powers as well, though not with as great command, or strength, plus she had to allow it as well before that happened

"Okay, this is definitely new, is this also for the shields?"

"No, the shields are me only and this ability only extends to physical attacks like my chains, energy balls and such, non physical attacks do not give you control and I can't do it either"

"Understood"

"Now for more training"

"Right"

The next two months were interesting for the group getting used to the new dynamics in regards to Allison's powers, strength and leadership abilities when called for, they knew she was a leader of the Cybertronians when called for, but they had never seen her take command within the military except once when it was needed because it involved her family. They also needed to get used to the fact that Allison was more active in the field than before, she obeyed orders yes, but she was further on the front lines than before and she moved around more as well, more than once Allison was nearly hit by either bullets or arrows because of her unpredictability, what they didn't know was that she kept up her personal shields constantly  _because_  of such risks

"We're not completely synced but we're getting there, but you need to get back to the Texas Rangers"

"Yes, I just received a call from the Captain yesterday, there's an arsonist that's active and Lucas thinks that it's an alien arsonist but he's not completely sure about that and needs a second opinion"

"Why can't he call the EDC in this situation?"

"He normally does, but in this situation there's a question on if he should or not to confirm his suspicions for reasons that I can't get into right now"

"EDC reasons?"

"Yes, EDC reasons, between the two of us we'll figure if the rest of the EDC is needed, as a Reserve EDC officer he has the authority to handle this situation on his own if he can, and I can help due to being the legally adopted daughter of the Cybertronians"

"How long will this take?"

"No idea"

"Can you still do Reserve training?"

"Yes, now then time to get back to Dallas"

It took a couple of months but finally the two pegged down their enemies

"You were right to not call in the rest of the EDC Lucas, these guys aren't to blame, not really"

"That's what I thought, but with the pattern acting like two different groups I needed confirmation and you're the only one who can do so I'm afraid"

"I know"

"I want to be able to but I don't have the training that's needed"

"I know, I'm the only one who can detect the subtly between forced fires and controlled fires"

"And there  _is_ a difference that most can't see, including me"

"Exactly, even if they amount to the same thing in one situation they're trying to give hints to them being controlled and in another they're completely under the control of the enemy and are basically on autopilot not even aware of their actions"

"So...what now?"

"Now we unfortunately do need the rest of the EDC if only because of how many enemies there are"

"Right, non-lethal?"

"Non-lethal is right"

"You're not going to be here when it's time are you?"

"I'm afraid not due to training"

"I am not very fond of the military schedule right now"

"I'm not exactly happy either but things are what they are"

"I'll let them know and start the coordination"

"Good"

After Allison left for the weekend training things were finally coordinated enough to take down the arsonists and the ones controlling them and by the time she was back the arsonists had plead guilty but were being given either pardons or very light community service, and even then that was because the group as a whole insisted on being punished even if it wasn't their fault

"In all honesty we're not entirely sure what will happen when they serve their community service so there's going to be EDC guards for their protection and they understand that, though the public might think of them as prison security guards for prisoners on work release where they're guarded while they do assigned work"

"Well for now we have Ranger duties to attend to and I need to hand the Captain a special report"

"Something happened during training"

"Yep, and fortunately it impacts us directly"

"Fortunately? How could something happening during training be fortunate?"

"Because it showed us an error in a procedure that normal police use that needs corrected immediately, though it's not easy and will take time to do"

"How bad did we mess up on procedure?"

"Bad I'm afraid, but the mistake  _is_  fixable, it's just going to take time is all"

"And getting through a lot of stubborn thick-headed people?"

"Yes, that part is going to be the most difficult if I'm to be honest with you Lucas"

"Does the EDC also need to fix procedures?"

"Fortunately no, but that's only because of the fact that the EDC deals with different rules in this situation and as such EDC procedures are correct already"

"That's something at least"

"I know, otherwise you'd really be in trouble"


	34. Chapter 34

"I know retraining in one job is hard enough, doing it in two would be worse"

"Exactly, now then I need to type up that report in police wording and then hand it over and the original military report"

"Oh, didn't think military phrasing was different from police phrasing"

"It is, not entirely different but it's different enough that I need to retype it so that the Captain can understand it, though I also need to give him the original report so that he knows that the report comes from the military originally"

"Got it, take you an hour at least?"

"Three hours because unfortunately some of the report is written in Greek, I don't know Greek"

"Who's bright idea was it to write some of it in Greek?"

"Someone who was stressed enough that they went with their native language, they're lucky I didn't slip into Cybertronian or Russian because that's happened before, and if it's one of my two native languages that complicates matters"

"Wait, is that report a mixture of everyone's report?"

"Yes, yes it is"

"Please tell me that Greek is the only foreign language involved"

"It is, I'm just surprised Tonto didn't slip into his own native language because otherwise I'd need to go to him for help in translating this mess into police phrasing"

Ultimately it took four hours for her to complete the translation from military phrasing to police phrasing not just because of the Greek but because some of the wording was complicated to translate into the right phrasing, but finally she handed in both reports to her Captain

"Kerenai...what's with the Greek?"

"Don't ask, just don't ask, read my military to police translation, once you've read through the report decide what you're going to do about what's been discovered in training"

"Right, I'll let you guys know what's happening after I finish this, sometime within the next week, for now can you modify your current training in an emergency?"

"Not really Captain, with the problem that we have I need procedures to follow that aren't military because things are slightly different between the police and the military in how one is supposed to act and react to certain situations"

"Understood"

Later that day they had hand-to-hand combat training and when Allison stripped down to change into special training clothes she heard a gasp of shock

"Kerenai...what happened to your back?"

"Oh...that...that was something that happened during a time period you're not cleared to hear about I'm afraid, but I  _can_  tell you that it was bad enough that I was at risk of dying"

"It was that bad?"

"Oh yeah, if not for...for a friend I would have never been found dead or alive"

After practice Allison thought about Arizona Lawson because she had once more been triggered by the earlier comment about her back which was littered with whip scars, her whole body was a mess of scars in all reality but the whip scars on her back were some of the worst

_Past_

Allison and her group were in Placerville due to an urgent telegram they had received a week earlier

_Message_

\- - -. - - -..- / .- .-.. .-.. .. ... - -. / .- -. -.. / ... . .-. / -. .-. - ..- .-. -..- / .- ... - . ...- . .-. / .-. . -.-. . .. ...- . ... / - ... .. ... / - . ... ... .- -. . / - . . - / - . / .. -. / .-. .-.. .- -.-. . .-. ...- .. .-.. .-.. . / .. - - . -.. .. .- - . .-.. -.- -..- / - .-. - ..- -... .-.. . / -... .. -. -. . .-. / - ... .- -. / .- ... .- - / ... ... . .-. .. ..-. ..-. / -.-. .- -. / ... .- -. -.. .-.. . / .-. - ... ... .. -... .-.. . -..- / - .. -. ... - / -. - - / -... . / .- -... .-.. . / - - / ... . .-.. .-. / . .. - ... . .-. -..- / .. ..-. / - .-. - ..- -... .-.. . / ... .- .-. .-. . -. ... / - .. -. ... - / ... .-. .-. . .- -.. / -.- ..- .. -.-. -.- . .-. / - ... .- -. / -.- - ..- / -.-. .- -. / -. . - / ... . .-. . / - -. -.-. . / ... . .- .-. -.. / ..-. .-. - - / -. . .- …

*Tonto, Allison and her group, whoever receives this message meet me in Placerville immediately, trouble bigger than what Sheriff can handle possible, might not be able to help either, if trouble happens might spread quicker than you can get here once heard from news*

_End message_

"I hope that nothing's happened since the message was sent"

"Well considering we've been keeping an eye on the news since the message I don't think anything's happened, but it possibly still could at any time"

Once in town the group separated to gather news about Arizona and the possible trouble that had been brewing at the time of the message being sent, finding out that Arizona being in there had ultimately calmed things down to a point that the Sheriff could handle the problems that cropped up again. Unfortunately splitting up had been a mistake because the criminals hadn't actually left the area, just decided to lie low until they were sure that they could take action and when they heard the group asking questions they decided to take the obviously weakest link which was Allison due to her being a kid

"Hey, what the!..."

She gave a good fight but was eventually captured and once a prisoner was tortured, primarily through being whipped in the back but they occasionally changed things up. This lasted for three weeks, during which time Arizona came back into the area having heard about what had happened, and when he arrived he saw a  _very_  frantic group of people. The group was actually so frantic that they had gotten into three different fights in the same amount of weeks and one almost turned into a shooting match and almost got into a fourth that Arizona prevented

"Take it easy guys, we'll find her I promise"

"Arizona, what are you doing here?"

"I heard what had happened and came to help, I'll search alone only because I know the area better than you guys even with a three week time period, that and I know better than to think you guys are going to split up again or if you do it's a minimum group of two"

The group split up again and scoured the area, the search lasted another three days by which time Allison was severely weakened from blood loss and infection, half out of her mind with fever. Arizona had decided to look at an abandoned home just in case and discovered her in the basement, he was physically ill Allison had looked so bad and then did what he could to bring Allison around just enough to survive a ride back into town. His plan didn't really work but he also realized that he had no choice but to force Allison to ride into town and hope that she survived the trip, which she ultimately did but it was a close call and she was fading fast by the time she was seen by the doctor. Only the doctor's skills and what little advanced medicine the EDC officers still had saved her life, and even then she was down for a solid month, two weeks of it spent basically unconscious or feverish, and it took another three for her to completely regain her strength though she started traveling again after the month spent in the doctor's office recovering

_Present_

Allison finished her day like normal but then was relieved that she had a three day weekend because she  _needed_  those three days to get her back to true normal state of mind because the memories she had been hit with her hard and they had come full force, combined with the fact that it was actually coming up on the anniversary of her captivity and whipping she needed time to drown herself in the journals, and for the first day alcohol

"Bar tender, cut me off when you're supposed to and call me a ride, I need to force memories away and unfortunately they're bad enough that I need  _that_  kind of means of pushing them back"

"Understood"

Eventually she hit her limit and the bar tender called for a taxi which she accepted and then slept for a whole fifteen hours, the rest of the time was spent in the journals and better memories regarding Arizona and that time period

"Oh Arizona, I wish you could be in this time period, but at least we have the journals you left behind for us to know what happened in that time period"

The next day she reported to her Captain and learns the plans in regards to training for the situation that was now needed

"You Kerenai are going to have the harder time since you have military training to ignore in police situations"

"Don't worry sir I've had plenty of practice"

"Forgot about that for a moment, even though I lose you for a weekend at a time normally it's never been so long that I truly remember your training, even if I get the letters I've gotten to the point of basically ignoring them when they arrive since they're technically for you but are sent to me so I know when you're leaving"

"Right, let me know when training is happening and I'll let the right people know what's going on so that I don't have Reserve training when I need to get police training done"

"Coordination is a pain at times"

"Yes it is, but that's what being a Reserve is all about, especially as a police officer in my civilian life"

The next day she saw John for the first time in a while during an incident

"Hey John, by the way you hear about needing new training?"

"Nope, than again I've been undercover for three months now so I haven't had  _time_  to receive news"

"Right, something happened during military training, thus police training in a situation needs modified, your group will be told once things are solidified in the changes"

"Right"

"In the meantime how are you on weapons?"

"Not good, I'm down to my last magazine"

"Good thing my powers have changed then"

"Changed?"

"Oh yeah, keep fighting and you'll see in a moment"

Two minutes later and John was holding one of her energy balls and tossing it at the enemy

"This is different"

"Keep fighting John, should end soon enough since the EDC is getting involved"

"What makes you say that?"

"I know the enemy John, the EDC is needed trust me on that one"

"Fine they're needed even if I can't see why, we need to have a talk later about what's happening right now"

"No kidding"

"For now are you tired?"

"Getting there"

Fortunately the EDC arrived soon after and Allison was able to conserve her powers and thus her strength since the EDC was able to handle things swiftly

"Kerenai, what are you doing?"

"Sorry guys, I was just going downtown for some supplies that we need at the station for something special and met up with John, and then well...you know what happened"

"What are you doing here anyways John?"

"Part of an undercover assignment I needed to report in to the local station here and update them on a case of mine and get backup, and then like Allison said you know what happened"

"How did she even recognize you in the disguise?"

_Minutes earlier_

Allison was going downtown to get food, paper plates, plastic cups and several cards when suddenly there was an attack. During said attack Allison pushed a "civilian" to safety, though she had to admit to herself that the "civilian" had been doing okay in all honesty, if not enough damage

"Stay here until things are taken care of"

"I can take care of myself"

"Sorry, I'm an officer and thus able to give you orders"

*It's me Allison, John, I'll explain what's up later for now...*

_Present_

"Once he identified himself I asked how he was on weaponry and gave him important info and then simply used my powers since the bullets weren't doing much damage in the first place"

"Right, well there are reports all around that need written, but your vehicles aren't damaged so that's something at least"

"Agreed"

The two go their separate ways, Allison to the store for the supplies for a secret retirement party and John to the station to make his report. Once Allison got back she wrote her own report and then they held the retirement party for an old Captain who had finally decided to retire from the force

"You know you guys didn't have to do this right?"

"We know Captain, however we wanted to do this to honor your service on the force"

Once the day was ended Allison and John went over to her apartment because they knew that they needed to talk

"I know we still have time before we're allowed to retire, but we really need to start making those plans especially because we might need to change plans at a moments notice with our jobs"

"I know, hopefully it's just a retirement party, but if something happens in either job...what will Dan do?"

"I honestly don't know to be honest Allison, he has the safest job of us all"

"But we need to start planning because we only have about five more years before we retire"

"Exactly"

And so they decide that the next time that they got together they would start making their retirement plans for two different scenarios. They also discussed John's undercover assignment and how to safely get him out if the plan with the rest of the unit failed because it could fail, and thus only she and John would be able to handle it because they  _knew_  each other due to their long connection to each other through her journey to the past and then her and her family helping them adjust and being their official doctors since they almost never saw the same doctor every year

"The EDC should be prepared in case of trouble"

"Don't worry, my family has contingency plans for contingency plans, especially since we brought you guys to the present and you guys joined the jobs you did, and then more plans since we discovered the whole not aging thing we have going on"

"Very well, best get going just in case"

"Right"

Fortunately when the time came to get John out of his undercover assignment (which Allison was  _not_  happy about once she realized the full scope of the drug dealers he was dealing with on his own) they didn't need to use their own plans, the plans that the whole group made worked just as well

"Well, it was complicated but the plan worked"

"Yes, but still, next time give everyone the  _full_  story about the drug dealers"

"Hey, if the FBI had told us the truth we would have done things differently in the undercover assignment, no solo mission for one, more frequent check-ins for another"

(Sighs) "Okay it's not entirely your fault, however you should have double checked with the FBI, there are  _rules_  that were put into place for the safety of officers after...after an incident shortly after I myself became a Texas Ranger, those rules apply to all law enforcement officers and entities, including the FBI, EDC and Secret Service"

"Okay, by the way what was that by-play between you and John?"

"Nothing important now"

"Fine I know better than to ask you further questions because you're tight lipped when you want to be"

"No I'm tight lipped because I'm  _trained_  to be when it's required, this time it's required for reasons that are either in my file or you aren't paying attention to habits"

"Fine, so...what are you going to do about the FBI?"

"Oh I have an idea that will work perfectly, but I'm not telling you guys what's happening so as to protect you guys from any backlash that might happen because of my actions"

"I'm not liking the phrasing of that"

"Sorry Captain, it's ingrained in me to protect those that can't protect themselves, and in this situation you can't protect yourselves, as a former leader of Cybertron, and one that become a leader again at need I can handle any backlash that the FBI can think of"

"Fine you're not telling me anything, can you at least promise me that you'll warn me if things go seriously wrong?"

"That I can do"

"Fine, however you're on vacation until further notice that ways the FBI has definitive proof we weren't involved in what you did"

"Very well, I was going to send a message to them about that but what you decided works just as well in letting the FBI know you weren't involved in any of my actions"

"Vacation starts tomorrow"

"What about the scenario training?"

"Haven't fully decided on how to change procedures yet anyways, they need changing that's for sure and we have an idea on how to do so, but nothing is confirmed as a procedure change to be tried"

"Understood sir, hopefully this mess is cleared up quickly"

"Agreed, regular safety check-ins by the way if you leave the state"

"Right"

Lucas comes in and snaps his fingers twice which was EDC code for sign language needed

*Galvatron says EDC training is needed for the scenario as well due to the fact that we work closely with the police, so we need to work with the differences, just received word about that, tell Captain?*

*No, not until procedures are set to try, too confusing otherwise*

*Understood*

*Tell all three leaders I need to talk to them by the way about tech exchange*

*Yes ma'am*

Allison then did the unofficial signal that meant that they were to be talking out loud again

"I'll finish my reports and then leave early if possible sir, than do what needs done, Lucas tell the family to ignore reports about me until further notice, more to the story that I am not saying for safety reasons"

"Understood Kerenai, EDC gets the reports once done?"

"Yes, oh and you're safekeeping my copy of the journals"

"But Dan Reid..."

"No Lucas, for one he has his own copy anyways and for another it's better that they're kept as separated as possible just in case"

"Fine, they in your desk drawer?"

"Yep, top left, my desk is special, military on one side police on the other, and multiple drawers for various things"

"And when you were leader?"

"Don't ask, just don't ask"

"Understood"

"For now get the journals and keep them safe, either in your safety deposit box or some other way but do it immediately"

"Forgot you know about that box that's required for all EDC officers"

"Correction, it's required for all EDC kids, they just don't find out about them until necessary"

"And those not born into the EDC?"

"By request"

"Okay, I'll tell a friend who's military who is thinking of joining the EDC and he's  _not_  an EDC kid, comes from generations of military service on both sides of the family, mom was a firefighter dad was a Coast Guard officer"

"Got it, things will be going within twenty-four hours most likely Captain"

"Understood Kerenai"

"I think I don't want to know"

"It involves why I need you to talk to my family and keep the journals safe"

"Understood, you're not going to be here are you?"

"Not until further notice"

The next week was calm in regards to Allison but within a week things blew up with a manhunt for Kerenai because of what she'd done because of the rule breaking that had happened in regards to information not being passed to John about the drug dealers. This lasted for almost a month but finally things were resolved and Allison was able to go back to work with both the Texas Rangers and the military


	35. Chapter 35

"Kerenai, next time you do something like that a little warning"

"Sorry Captain, didn't exactly have a complete plan"

"Basically you made it up as you went"

"Yep"

"At least you did give enough warning that things might happen, and you also obeyed the check-in rules that I established"

(Snorts) "I didn't do it for you, though you know I obey orders, I did it so that Lucas could tell my family that I was still alive due to the fact that I go incommunicado for situations like this"

"You basically decided not to fight check-in orders knowing what your family is like"

"Exactly, you do  _not_  want Captain Faireborn here in worry mode, because if she's coming here in worry mode than my actual family is in a panic and the only reason they aren't getting into the building is because of their size, the cassettes can fit but both Blaster and Soundwave are hardly ever in Dallas thus they can't come in to represent the family"

Suddenly they see Captain Faireborn

"Speak of the devil, at least she's in Captain of the EDC mode and not worry mode"

"Agreed, Captain Faireborn what can I do for you?"

"Do you have any procedures ready for testing to see what works and what doesn't after the military report?"

(Sighs) "I don't because of the fact that there are...arguments about procedures that should be tried and thus no consensus on what should be done first"

"Despite it being over a month?"

"Yep, it's mainly a fight between Texas Rangers and the various local police officers who don't see the point of training, we're working on it but it's not going the greatest"

"We'll use our own influence as the EDC if it's needed"

"Give us another week and we'll find out"

"Fine, one week by the way Kerenai why can't you guys just use the military adaptation?"

"Won't work in police matters unfortunately, my original report has the full explanation as to why military resolution won't be the same as police resolution"

"Fine, I want that report ASAP"

"Nope, not happening, primarily because of the fact that the Captain still has it as a means to try and convince the other police stations"

"True, I need those reports still, and she took a lot of time and effort to translate military phrasing into police phrasing"

"No, I mainly had to deal with translating Greek into English and then go from there"

"So it was literally all Greek to you for that section"

"Yup"

"Can I get a copy of said reports?"

"Sorry Faireborn, but that's not possible due to the fact that no one wants to copy Allison's reports at any given time unless they're for court sessions"

"And just why is that?"

"Um...you don't want to know"

"Captain..."

"No Faireborn, the Captain's right you really don't want to know who did what to make it so that no one wants to copy my reports except for court at any given time"

"You involved in any way?"

"Besides writing the reports and  _maybe_  doing yelling once when a report needed copied for the courts and it wasn't no"

"That's why the court rule was established"

"Oh didn't know that was a direct result of the yelling"

"It was"

"Can you at least give me a general idea?"

"Does deliberate messing with the reports give you an idea?"

"They...right no wonder they're only copied when ordered for the courts"

"You know what they did then?"

"Not entirely but I get the general gist of things, get me that report ASAP Captain"

"Will do"

A week later and there was still no resolution amongst the various police departments in Texas while in all the other states they had already tried modifications and while most had failed a couple had some potential solutions that looked like they were valid solutions and would work for their area and the problem that had been discovered because fortunately Allison wasn't the only police officer that had done the Reserve training that had discovered training issues and as such while Allison's report hadn't been made public beyond Texas the other officers made sure that their reports were made public and available to all departments across the country ASAP

"Okay, the EDC is needed for training resolution"

"Agreed, I'm getting civilians involved by the way"

"Tonto is no civilian, Dan Reid is but I agree that he needs the training as well considering the fact that he gets involved in emergencies through some sort of volunteer thing that's not the Red Cross"

"He didn't tell me that"

"Yeah...that's because it happened during one of your training fiasco's and since then he hasn't been called in frequently enough to think it needed mentioning"

"Understood"

Allison's phone rang and she answered in English but would switch to her second native language

"Kerenai here go ahead...*I understand Galvatron, how's Rodimus?...I see...Okay has Ratchet or First Aid given you an update since?...right...right...understood Galvatron...tell John, Dan and Tonto...I can't due to needing to yell at people...scenario training...okay Captain Faireborn...yep that's it exactly...right will do...bye *

Allison hangs up the phone and everyone could tell it was taking everything in her power not to slam the phone down

"Captain I'm going to go to some place I can do journal reading, do  _not_  try and contact me, family has made me  _way_  too angry in regards to a situation I just found out"

"You know the rules, scale of one to ten"

" _Twenty_ , I am way beyond normal levels, not even beating training bags into dust will calm me down this time"

"EDC training?"

"Not with what I just heard"

"And how's journal reading going to help?"

"It just will, the journals have a calming effect that won't work on emotional overload techniques that I know of"

She goes to a quiet place and randomly chooses a journal and entry

_Day 22_

I never knew that for Thundercloud the ceremony lasted a whole day and a half, as for what he wanted me to help with he's right in that I did and will enjoy what he's asked for since he's asking me to help with not just planting season but also some sort trading agreement with a new settlement, things are a bit unstable with said agreement and thus wanting me to help with translating things because while Thundercloud understands English the new settlement doesn't understand his culture and I do and as such I am the intermediary between the two during any and all meetings

She continued random reading for two hours before she was finally calmed down enough to go home for the day and continue work the next

"You calm now?"

"Better anyways, whenever I think of the news I get annoyed again but it's not at the dangerous levels I was at for two hours"

"Good, you're going to help in an arson investigation, there's been a mysterious fire in the early hours of the morning, we need to find out if it was arson or not"

"Understood sir"

"Josh, Karen and Andrew are already on their way, primarily because of the fact that they were helping normal Dallas PD on training in something or other that they're experts in when the call came in"

"Four Rangers are better than one depending on the size of the building"

"It's big alright, a warehouse"

"Right, this could get complicated then"

She goes to the scene and starts doing something that confuses everyone but one person, she starts sniffing the wood, and the one person who wasn't confused was an outside arson investigator who had done the same thing several times themselves in the course of an investigation

"Guys, we need John Reid, I think I recognize this smell but I need confirmation"

"You're one up on me then officer, because I was here before the police and did the same and didn't recognize the smell at all"

"How long you been an arson investigator?"


	36. Chapter 36

"Just under a year, and I didn't get the chance to smell the various chemicals because my training officer forbade that"

"How much is just under a year?"

"Four months training and another two months on my own"

"So six months overall and thus not a lot of time to get chemical exposure since I know the investigation rules"

"Investigation rules?"

"One arson investigation at a time, period, the  _only_  exceptions are if two cases start looking like they're one and an emergency situation where there's no other option but to take on two cases"

"Like doing an arson investigation and then suddenly an airplane crash, or another jurisdiction has no investigators"

"Exactly"

"How long until John can get here then?"

"Tomorrow's the earliest, got a call from him before shift today and he said something about doctor's orders about driving due to a wrenched shoulder"

"So we're going to lose time then"

"Nope, we'll do what we can without his nose but I don't think chemical analysis will work, worth a shot though and faster in any case, we'll also do other arson investigation things until he can get here"

Five hours later and the chemical analysis stated that the chemical that Allison had smelled was an unknown compound, there had also been kerosene, butane, and diesel fuel added to the mix

"Well it's a start at least"

"Agreed, we now know that future cases have those chemicals in this exact mixture or near exact, might want to start looking into other recent cases too just in case what wasn't originally thought of as arson might actually turn out to be"

"For now we need to identify this unknown compound before we go any further, too dangerous otherwise and you guys know it"

"She's right, pictures will help give us an idea of what was where but otherwise we're stuck until we get the answers for the unknown compound"

The next day John had finally arrived

"You asked for me?"

"Yes John, smell this and tell me if you recognize the smell"

John smells the wood several times and then his eyebrows go up in surprise

"I recognize this smell alright, I'm surprised that you haven't"

"Oh I thought I recognized it, but needed confirmation, where do you recognize the smell so that I know just how dangerous it is?"

"It's a mixture Allison, a very dangerous mixture"

"What's the mixture?"

"Gunpowder and lamp oil"

"Gunpowder and...I remember that mixture alright"

"Thought you would, do you remember the incident that gave you exposure to the mixture?"

"Only too well John, only too well"

_Past_

Allison and her group had gone to a fort to meet with the Lone Ranger and co because they were going to Chief Thundercloud's camp for a visit and to ask for help with some Indian trouble but when they got to the fort they saw chaos and major destruction

"What happened?"

"We're not sure"

Ultimately when Allison smelled the boards she got really confused about what she was smelling but eventually with the Lone Ranger's help it was identified as a mixture of gunpowder and lamp oil, partly because the oil spilled where the army kept their supply of gunpowder but it was also partly deliberate

"This is going to get complicated in regards to getting answers on who is doing this stuff"

"And figuring out why because more than likely a soldier is doing this"

"Right, this is going to be a delicate job"

Eventually they find out that a soldier who was angry with the military for multiple reasons was behind the multiple fires and he was executed after a court martial

"Now that we've got that resolved time to visit Chief Thundercloud's camp since the trouble we were originally going to ask him for help for has gotten worse"

"Agreed"

And so that's exactly what they do and eventually they get the Indian trouble resolved as well

_Present_

"Right, now that I know what's going on we're going to need to warn people, especially firefighters because gunpowder is  _dangerous_ , and there are going to be big explosions as well, think fireworks except bigger, much, much bigger"

"And certain locations are inherently even more dangerous with what they store"

"Oh this is going to end badly if we don't catch the arsonist soon"

"Agreed, for now all we can do is send out that warning to the firefighters, but let's hope that we find the arsonist before there's too much property damage"

"We're working on nothing right now, unless this isn't the first fire because while it's great that we have a general chemical pattern unless the pattern itself or the buildings become a pattern that's all we've got right now"

"Hate to admit it but you're right, we need more cases to develop a profile, and I  _hate_  letting things develop if I can prevent it"

"We'll do what we can to minimize the damage Kerenai, for now though this task force is staying here 24/7, certain people will be on call during certain hours so that we have that coverage, if you need clothing and shower supplies go home and get them quick, John you're going to need to go to the store if you didn't think about this possibility"

"I thought about the possibility, I packed for a week away from home"

"Okay, now then all that's left is getting sleeping supplies"

(Sighs) "I'll go get the cots, due to being both an EDC kid and part of the military I'm always prepared for such a situation, as such I made arrangements with the EDC already that if my police work needs cots for any reason all I have to do is call and tell them how many cots are needed and they'll get them to us within the hour, however this time since there's only six of us we can use two vehicles to get our cots back here"

"And if needed you can get more because the task force might expand depending on what happens"

"Exactly"

"When did you make these arrangements anyways?"

"Early in my police career,  _way_  early in my police career for reasons that you're not cleared for"

"Fine, at least we know that we have more cots available if necessary, for now you and John get those cots and then come back here"

"Right"

Three hours later and the group was finishing setting up their base of operations for the current situation

"If anyone needs to make phone calls make them now"

"Right, I definitely need to do so, because I'm also in the Reserves and have weekend training once a month, if I don't report in and don't have orders that allow me to skip training I'm in trouble"

"Allison you need a secure phone?"

"Yes I do because  _someone_  was an idiot and not only took my cell phone but smashed it beyond repair, Perceptor isn't going to be happy about that by the way"

"No kidding, beta phone?"

"Nope, it's been available to military and EDC personnel for three years now, thinking about allowing police access but he's not sure yet due to...technical issues that I can't understand"

"Right, you can borrow my phone then, Optimus gave it to me and Dan a year ago after that one fiasco that nearly got us killed"

"Right, thanks, I'll just go to a private area while I make the phone call"

Fifteen minutes later she had explained the situation to the President who promised to do something when the time came for her to do her Reserve training for the month, but that she needed to make arrangements with the task force the rest of the time

"Okay, he's covering this month's training but we need to figure something out for next month and every month afterwords until we get this issue dealt with"

"Understood Kerenai, if we add more members to the task force you leaving for the weekend won't make much of a difference to the investigation but we need to keep things small initially for the simple fact that I don't want to use a lot of manpower on something that we currently have no real leads on"

"That's reasonable in all reality, but as we get more information we can add resources which will definitely help me with the fact I need to do Reserve training regularly"

"For now like you said we've got nothing to work with which is bad, it means more damage needs to be caused before we can get better clues besides the chemicals used in the fire and their exact proportions"

"Like already stated earlier I hate letting damage get done but we need damage to get done to establish a pattern of some sorts"

"Catch-22 if I ever knew one"

"Yep, for now it's night time and thus time for sleep, who has first watch?"

"As leader of the task force I do"

"Right"

"I claim second then"

"Uh Kerenai, only one person on call during the night"

(Sighs) "Okay I forget that most of you aren't military, when I say first watch I mean guarding the location from hostiles because yes we're in the city which is safer, we still need to protect ourselves since we're not actually at the police station"

"Hey you know full well that I would have volunteered except for what happened the last time I volunteered to take first watch"

"That's exactly why you've been forbidden from ever taking first watch again John, that was  _way_  too dangerous and emotional for the group"

"Well in any case for the security watch we'll start a rotation and since John is apparently not allowed to take first watch and I am not letting Kerenai take first watch either tonight for reasons I'm not getting into we'll need to decide who does"

"Except I know why at least tonight I'm not allowed first watch and I respect your decisions and reasoning's behind those decisions"

"Good, you and John need to talk it out about who takes other watches, and you have an additional decision to make as well Kerenai"

"Two decisions, if I should use my bow and arrows and if I should use...special equipment and something secret that not everyone is cleared to know as civilian's"

"Kerenai, we calling headquarters about what we're going to do until further notice?"

"Nope, primarily because on the way back from the EDC base I reported things to the Captain in person explaining why we need the task force in the first place and also why we're sleeping together in one building until the case is resolved"

"Does Austin know they've lost John?"

"Our Captain was calling his Captain as we were leaving"

"Okay, just making sure everyone and everything is accounted for in regards to our jobs"

"That's all well and good, but did you call your significant other Andrew?"

"Called, apologized and made promises for once this investigation is dealt with, what about that situation regarding your family?"

"That was dealt with while getting the cots"

"Understood"

Fortunately in one aspect and unfortunately in another the arsonist was a very prolific arsonist and only two months after the task force was formed they caught the suspect who was ultimately tried, convicted, and sentenced to natural life sentence in a military prison due to the fact that the arsonist was actually a dishonorably discharged soldier who had been imprisoned already for another crime and had escaped a month before the task force had formed, and the ironic thing about the criminal was that he was set to get a parole right before his escape for good behavior


	37. Chapter 37

"Time to rebuild what was destroyed for a second time"

"Hey, at least we weren't invaded, thus the damage isn't as severe this time so that's something we should be grateful for anyways"

"I have to agree with that actually, it could have been a whole heck of a lot worse all things considered"

"You guys start working on that paperwork, us Texas Rangers have to get back to our jobs enforcing the laws of both this state and this country...I also need to find out about my Reserve training, and John, Dan, Tonto, you and I  _really_  need to get together at some point to discuss something that I want to keep private for now"

"I'll see what I can do, but you know that you and Tonto will have to coordinate military schedules yourselves"

"I know, I'm just letting you know now so that you and Dan can start working on your half of the coordination"

"Okay that makes sense, by the way if it's in regards to our...special plans your family has invited us down for Christmas week for that very reason"

"It's something else that we need to talk about"

"Understood"

"You guys get back to your jobs, we'll deal with the final clean up"

"Thanks"

"We'll have our reports for the Texas Rangers in a couple of days, you guys have your own reports I'm sure"

"Yeah we gotta write some reports alright"

"Who's making one cohesive report then?"

"We aren't, not for this situation anyways"

"What do you mean Kerenai?"

"That's what I'd like to know Allison"

"That's easy John, guys, the reason we aren't writing a cohesive report is because our jobs not done yet, we may have caught this guy who was an escaped criminal, but I don't know if he had any insiders, thus a report that isn't very cohesive would be best right now" (switches to sign language) *I'm going to write a cohesive report for the President, John, including my suspicions in said report, once that happens we'll talk more with the rest of the group about a cohesive report due to the fact that it's going to take a bit to get to the President since I'm going to be using the special courier system*

*The renewed Pony Express?*

*Yep, glad that even after the states were rebuilt the President decided to bring back the Pony Express along with agreeing to make Morse code mandatory for certain groups within the military*

What the two were secretly (in that the people with them didn't know sign language) talking about was the fact that once the invasion had been dealt with it wasn't just the fact that horses were the main transportation in Texas that had to be dealt with, but also the United States mail system in Texas, and partially in the other states that had been invaded if not completely then at least partially. As such while the roads were being rebuilt there was two systems of mail going out, government mail went out on the reestablished by Presidential order Pony Express while the rest of the mail was carried by United States Postal Service workers, Texas had been a trial run with the Pony Express being reestablished, but with it having proved itself within three months, the rest of the country (with the natural exception of Alaska and Hawaii due to distance from the mainland, though since it was acknowledged that they needed something similar they established their equivalents of the Pony Express, with Alaska equivalent having two modes of travel depending on the season) requested that the Pony Express be extended to them as well and as such the Pony Express became a government courier system under the ultimate command of the United States Postal Service, as such it was considered a subdivision of the Postal Service but they carried nothing but official government business, both State and Federal

"What are you two talking about?"

"Oh, nothing much just a security thing that you're not involved in at the moment, don't worry you'll be informed if and when you do need to get involved I promise"

"We'd better be"

"You will, I promise you will"

A week later and Allison was making the final touches on the cohesive report to send to the President via the Pony Express

"Hey Captain can I leave a bit early? I have to get something to the Post Office and they're closing early today due to that incident two days ago with the water pipe"

"Understood, and since I know you're all caught up on your paperwork I'll allow you to go"

"Thanks"

"I thought the pipe issue had been dealt with"

"So did they, when I picked up a package this morning they mentioned that the solution turned out to be temporary, thus they're closing early and will be shut down completely at least tomorrow, maybe longer depending on certain factors"

"Right, they think it was criminal?"

"Nope, family actually checked it out, turns out that mircocracks had been forming for a while and one finally burst, turns out that when the building was rebuilt someone messed something up even with following building codes, that it lasted this long is a testament to the fact that they  _did_  follow regulations to a certain point, we're looking further into finding out what went wrong where but it wasn't malicious"

"That's something at least because investigations involving federal buildings can get  _complicated_ "

"Well I need to get going"

Once at the Post Office she did what procedure dictated, having already done the first half at Ranger headquarters, but that was only because police and Texas Rangers needed to keep special envelopes on hand for certain documents

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, I need this delivered immediately via Pony Express, the location is designated on the package including special instructions"

The clerk takes one look at the envelope and sees that it was indeed Pony Express only in regards to travel, the recipient was the biggest shock since the destination wasn't seen often from Dallas or many other locations

"I'll get on this immediately"

"Thank you, here's the pay"

For Pony Express there was a flat rate due to the fact that government documents were too important to vary charges depending on weight and depending on the size of the documents the weight was definitely about the size of a small package at the very least on occasion

"Don't see cash very often from you"

"Eh, I have my reasons"

Allison leaves and the clerk goes to the boss

"Hey boss, we got a Pony Express rider here?"

"Nope, not due for another ten minutes"

"This needs sent out immediately once they arrive, I knew we shouldn't have sent out our reserve rider today"

"Not our fault a government document was sent out before the other one returned"

"I know, still don't like it, and unfortunately others can't substitute because of the rules"

"Well for now I'll be on standby to pass the package on"

"Thanks"

Ten minutes later and the Pony Express rider did indeed arrive

"Get the emergency rental and get this package on it's way, it's urgent from the looks of it"

And so within ten minutes the Pony Express rider was gone again to the first way station established, and a week later the President would receive the package

"Hello sir, there's a package for you and only you, the envelope specifies that it's your eyes only"

"Understood"

Once he reads Allison's report he gets very scared for everyone's safety that was part of the task force and even future lives due to what the cohesive report was saying, he quickly wrote a reply and sealed it for the Pony Express rider who was waiting to receive word on whether or not he had a return reply to send back or not, the procedure for the Pony Express rider was that one rider would start the mail system wherever they were at that was needed and then a relay race was started, certain places were way stations where a standby rider, or a horse depending on the distance, was waiting to send the message on to the next way station until the message arrived at it's final destination. Once that was done the rider that delivered the message to the final destination was to wait at the location they had delivered the message until they received word on if there was a reply or not, if there was a reply the procedure happened again, just in reverse, if there wasn't a reply the rider would be told so and they would go to where the way station was and send a message via a phone call to the original post office that the message had been received and that no further actions were needed. Once that call had been made the rider would stay the night depending on the time of day and then either go home if they lived nearby or go to one of the boarding houses all across the country, as such Pony riders never really lived in their home state except for certain required times every other year, that was to keep them from burning out too soon, and also for tax reasons, if they were family people they were not often required to be away from their family's as often but it did still happen occasionally depending on message factors

"Take this back to the rider and tell him that the reply needs to get there in less than a week, shortcuts are authorized for this assignment and smoke signals at need"

And so that's exactly what happens, the Pony rider quickly starts the return journey and uses two shortcuts and passes on the word about shortcuts and smoke signals being authorized. Meanwhile back in Dallas a couple of police cadets on loan to the Texas Rangers to see if that was a path they might want to take in the future stupidly decided to test everyone's reflexes, it wasn't a bad idea in all reality in that it kept everyone sharp, the stupid part came into play with Allison due to her military reflexes and sixth sense that had almost gotten people killed before, her currently in a military mindset and thus keeping a knife on her at all times wasn't helping matters much, and the reason she was in a military mindset was because of an incident the day after she sent off the cohesive report

"You idiot,  _never_  try and sneak up on me, I don't care that you're a police cadet you were told the rules from the start, I have military training which means my reflexes are honed to the best they can make them, I could have killed you just now with this knife if not for secret and special factors that automatically come into play depending on the scenario"

And she wasn't kidding she had the knife at the cadets throat still after he had tried to sneak up on her and failed, she had whipped around with the knife in her hand so fast that no one had had time to react, the cadet's only saving grace was that she was always subconsciously aware of her location and as such at headquarters someone sneaking up on her wasn't automatically an enemy, however she still had the sharpest reflexes of the group so they still got body slammed and pinned for a minute or two for good measure and a reminder if they already knew the rules, this time though it was a knife to the neck since she had been sharpening it at the time

"I think he's learned his lesson Kerenai"

"He'd better have, because next time I won't go so easy on him"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, next time he's having a sparring session with me on top of whatever I do to him when he surprises me"

"I won't stop you, however I think we need to implement new knife rules with you"

"No, I'm not giving up my knife, that incident was  _way_  too close for comfort in my mind, why do you think I had security beef up recently?"

"Understood Kerenai"

Two days later and the reply was received, including the fact that her training was to do base inspections this time around for the simple matter that the EDC had told the President about the upcoming plans of the four friends and since EDC officers did base inspections more regularly then military personnel did it was a good idea to get in some practice now instead of later, Tonto would also be doing base inspections with her as well

"Okay, I just received a letter that will affect everyone including the cadets so meeting room guys"

Once there everyone looked to Kerenai expectantly

"Okay, so not many people knew this but I had suspicions that there was someone helping an escaped criminal that hadn't been named and was still at large, thus I was suspicious that there would be another round of arson attacks and..."

" _That's_  why there wasn't a very cohesive report for the police"

"Exactly, I did make a cohesive report for POTUS but they're the only one's with a cohesive report, I also included my suspicions in said report. Anyways I just received a reply and they agree with me about my suspicions, they don't know about the incident recently that has caused me to keep my knife by my side but that's because I don't think it's related to the arson case, I have a feeling that the incident is related to my family situation, maybe something regarding my military work but I don't know that for sure so the arson case can't be ruled out just yet"

"So, keep an eye out for arson fires again soon"

"Indeed"

A week later and it was confirmed that the incident that caused Allison to go into a military mindset and carrying her knife around was indeed connected to her family, as for the other situation mysterious fires started up again two days after the reply the President had sent to Allison had been received, because of said report and reply there was already federal agents ready and willing to help investigate the second round of arson fires to hopefully finally bring everything to a conclusion

"Okay, now that we have a bit of extra help we shouldn't need as many fires as last time"

"Only if the pattern is if not exactly the same at least similar enough to tag it as a possible connection to the recent arson case"

"You win that point, but still hopefully the damage is much less than last time, two of the buildings were ultimately condemned by the owners because the damage was that bad"

"Right, for now we need to get to the most recent suspected arson sight and look into things and figure out if this is a new case or not"

They quickly establish that while it was a different person it was the same pattern as before, though with not as frequent attacks and also the fact that the targets were a bit different as well


	38. Chapter 38

"Well, at least there's one good thing about this"

"Yeah, the frequency last time was definitely a problem at times, we barely had any time to rest on occasion and that wasn't the greatest of situations because of sleep deprivation happening at times"

"For now though we need to figure out how to capture this guy before they attack something major to the functioning of our city"

That night their luck ran out and both a fire station and an energy plant were attacked with a message that it was only the start of the real revenge plan

"Okay, our plans need to be expedited because other structures are in danger with this declaration"

"Agreed, but how to get things done is going to be tricky"

"Good point Kerenai, for now..." (sighs) "for now we'll simply look at all the fires and warn potential targets, maybe we'll figure out how to trap this suspect by doing those things"

"Let's hope so because quite frankly I'm out of ideas"

The next day they received word that they were to go to the joint military base in Fort Worth because they had been attacked by the same criminal that they were looking for

"Right, we're taking the long route for safety reasons"

"But..."

" _No_ , as the only Reserve soldier I'm in charge of this situation in full, and I don't need a Presidential order to enforce this"

"Fine, but don't think I like this"

"I know, but it's for everyone's safety that I'm in charge"

The path that Allison chose meant that they would take two hours to get to the base, she knew that meant more damage could potentially be done, but it also reduced the risks of the base being a trap, then there was the fact that the base wouldn't be completely destroyed and rebuilding would already be happening which helped matters in her mind, on the ride there since she wasn't driving she allowed her mind to wonder to a similar incident in a very different time period

_Past_

Allison was at camp with most of the group when suddenly the two people that had been sent into town for supplies came in at a gallop (the group had gotten to the point where they borrowed horses from certain people each for a specific time period)

"What's wrong?"

"Something's up, a solider just came in and stated that the fort is under attack"

"How far?"

"Good hour's ride, if not more"

"Right, mount up and prepare for a fight once we get there"

Everyone joined the group heading to the fort and actually met up with a disguised Lone Ranger and Tonto. The battle was ultimately intense and it was discovered that the soldier that managed to get to town was the only survivor

"What are your plans soldier?"

"Go to the nearest fort and report the situation to them, everything else can be figured by those in charge there, good thing I got written orders on me to back up my story"

The group of a mixture of friends and those under the command of Kerenai technically wouldn't find out for two months but finally they discovered that the soldier was immediately cleared of any and all charges when the letter was revealed and had served for another month and a half before being honorably discharged due to devastating injuries incurred by renegade Indians

"It's sad that his potential career was cut short but at least the letter cleared him of all charges and he served the rest of his time in the army with honor and given a medical discharge instead of being drummed out of the corp or shot for desertion"

"Agreed, I honestly didn't think he would be able to stick it out after what happened at his last post"

"I know, I also thought he wouldn't last, I actually thought that the incident at his last post would give him PTSD causing him in this day and age to be declared mentally unstable"

"Well in either case he did his best and he might have developed PTSD later, we just don't know"

"You're right, for now let's have our own ceremony since we missed his"

"Agreed"

They hold their own little ceremony and then split up knowing that it was for the best until they needed to team up again

_Present_

Allison was brought out of her reverie by the announcement that they were five miles out from the base

"Right time for me to get into the drivers seat because otherwise you're not getting on base, I don't care if you have ID's that declare you federal agents, with there just having been an attack security is going to be  _tight_ , the only federal agents normally allowed after something like this would be NCIS or it's equivalent for the specific branch of service that's not Navy, I can get on base because of my military ID and through me you can get on base since I can vouch for you guys being legit, but otherwise..."

"Okay you in the first car and the drivers seat it is"

"Wait, only military ID's get people through right now?"

"Why do you think I asked for the five mile warning? I know military procedures, have known them for a long time now and after an attack like what they just went through security is going to be more vigilant and the guard doubled until further notice, but we  _need_  more information to confirm that this is our case, though I am willing to work with the NCIS or it's equivalent if they force the issue"

Once at the base they find out that Allison was indeed correct and that security was tightened and the guard doubled. Several hours later when they got confirmation that it was their same suspect they found out that they would indeed be working with NCIS the reason behind that being that it turned out that NCIS was already assigned to the case hours earlier because of an attack on a Coast Guard station in Houston just hours before the other attack, thus why they had not been informed earlier

"How many hours is just hours before the attack on this base?"

"Three hours between the attacks"

"Right, we were dealing with two sites at the time and my phone is currently off thus I will have several missed calls I believe"

"Kerenai, you told me you needed your phone on at all times"

"Normally I do need my phone on at all times, this time however it's totally not my fault my phone is off seeing as how it was done as a security measure my family implemented due to a possible hacking attack that was discovered as I was heading to the fire station site, they called me on the special landline that I insisted on for that very reason"

"Okay not your fault indeed"

"For now I need to make a few phone calls and then we  _really_  need to trap this creep because if they're targeting military bases who knows  _what_  their ultimate plans could wind up being"

"Kerenai quick question, what about your Reserve training?"

"That's been canceled until further notice and not because we don't have enough people to cover for me this time, last I heard there was something up with a couple of people in my unit that needs resolved before training is to be continued, Tonto and I have other means of training which helps but I don't know what the others are going to do until we get word we can train again"

"They didn't tell you?"

"Not in clear detail anyways, and what I do know you're not cleared for"

"For now we need to get this situation taken care of before anything more vital is attacked"

"Warned Washington the moment I had an inkling things might escalate at an unusual rate"

"That's one less worry, when did you do that?"

"The attack before the fire station and energy plant"

"How did you get an idea things might escalate before we did?"

"I know, her military training combined with what I suspect is family reasons is what has allowed her to think of things happening before they actually do, thus the warning to Washington about possible trouble"

"Well for now we need to think of traps"

Two months later and they actually caught the person behind the original attacker, but that person chose suicide by cop instead of going to trial


	39. Chapter 39

"Well we still have some clean up to do but I guess this settles the case"

"Yep, and my Reserve training has yet to be resolved but we're getting there apparently"

"That's good to hear"

Once back at work she was given a couple of hours to catch up and get in some much needed journal reading because what she'd been through was stressful, and for whatever reason decided to go to a weird period in Arizona's life

_Day 3012_

For some strange reason I seem to be doing more government work than bounty hunting and while I don't mind working alongside the government and them paying me I want to do some wolf hunting because my dog is missing it, then there's the fact that what I'm trying to take care of without you guys is being a bit elusive, hopefully I can resolve it without more help but we'll see

She read a few more entries before getting back to work as a Texas Ranger which she desperately needed after two consecutive arson cases with very little breaks in between

"So all caught up and relaxed?"

"Yep, now I can get back to normal life"

Several months later and the four started making plans to join the EDC and leave their current lives

"Hopefully we can do this through you guys retiring and then staging an 'accident' that kills you guys and set you up with new identities for the moment"

"I hate that we have to do it that ways but you have a point in needing to do that for this transition at least, once we go through this round we can keep using our true names with cover stories but these guys, my generation are too close to this whole thing to do so this time"

"What happened with that special Presidential training anyways?"

"Got pushed back due to various problems with the unit, it won't happen now until next summer so we have time to get things in order"

"So things really are close to getting settled?"

"Yep, not the greatest of situations that happened with my unit but we're getting resolution at least so I'm happy that I can do military training again soon"

"How soon is soon?"

"Hopefully within the next two months, but we'll see, Ally and I have gotten in supplemental training which helps but we really need to do unit training again soon"

Suddenly Allison's phone rang and the look on her face said it was important

"Kerenai speaking go ahead...yes sir...yes sir I understand...I will tell him sir...yes sir...yes sir...will do sir...forty-eight hours I understand...okay sir...bye"

As soon as she hangs up she sees the group looking at her in anticipation but Tonto was also looking at her as a fellow soldier who needed the orders they had both just received via phone call

"That was the Secretary of Defense, the unit issue has been officially resolved in that the unit will be officially split up and separated into different already established Reserve units, that was the best solution they could come up with considering the whole situation Tonto, in the meantime we have forty-eight hours before we're sent to Japan for two weeks to deal with the recent Typhoon damage done to part of the country and some of the base that we have there, and once we get our training orders for next month we'll both be part of a new unit, the President is  _not_  splitting us up except at need"

"What I'm wondering is why we didn't get more warning for the Japan deployment, even if it's for two weeks"

"Don't ask me because I don't know, I'm just glad we have forty-eight hours to get things set up with our jobs which already have established procedures in place for us specifically"

"Agreed"

Forty-eight hours later and Tonto and Allison were on a plane to Japan to deal with the situation that they were in, finding out on the way that they would mainly be confined to the base, but only because of the fact that their skills were better served on the base since everyone US military or not was at the base for medical care and with Allison a soldier trained in multiple skills she was best used keeping both communications going and supplies getting to where they were needed in the surrounding area because both were sporadic at best through no fault of the base personnel, they just simply didn't have the right resources and properly trained personnel to do the jobs properly, at least not enough of either, with Allison being trained in both that was one less person they needed for those skills and one less worry because Allison could get the resources in a pinch through her family if she called, the US military was just being a bit too proud to ask the EDC for help at the moment depending on Allison to know when to call for them herself this time around. During those two weeks she never did call in her family but it was close once because everything had suddenly shorted out on her while she was doing repairs to the communication room but she found a solution that would work and didn't need to involve the family

"So, you two are headed back"

"Yes, we always knew this was a temporary assignment, just until the other soldiers managed to get here, either as replacement for those hurt or because they were already supposed to be here but their deployment was delayed because the base wasn't ready for them due to the damage done by the Typhoon"

"Well, thank you for all you've done, even though I know that it's because of orders that you were here"

"For now it's best that we get going, and yes it may have been orders but I'm glad we were able to help because of the fact that we've both in the States for  _way_  too long without actual military duties"

"How did you get your training in then?"

"Don't ask because you're not cleared for the answer"

"Very well"

Several hours later and Tonto and Allison were back at their civilian jobs

"So...what happened with the sudden deployment?"

"Um, it's a bit complicated in that there really should have been more warning but the situation in both Japan and with us precluded that"

"Very well, by the way Reserve training?"

"That's going to be restarted next month, however the training is going to last at least two weeks instead of the normal weekend for reasons that unfortunately unless it winds up in the news you're not cleared for since it's pure military business"

"Understood Kerenai, if there's anything I can do to help I will"

"Actually you can help now that I think about it, Tonto and I are going to be leaving our bows and arrows behind this training session and while normally Tonto can keep his at work and has been able to for a while now we've decided we want them both at this location for the SWAT to use for training purposes since they're the newest from the EDC"

"Bows and arrows are bows and arrows aren't they?"

"Not quite when it comes to the EDC, just trust me they'll need the training"

"Very well I'll let SWAT know about this then, but how exactly can I help then?"


	40. Chapter 40

 

 

 

"Making sure that they stay safe and that the bows and arrows are properly taken care of after a training session or a mission if they're used during a SWAT deployment"

"Will do, anything else I need to know?"

"If training is extended because of circumstances this time you'll get a phone call either from  _him_  or from me to let you know"

"Understood, and I think I can safely guess who you're talking about and not mentioning by name"

"Most likely"

The next month when the training notice came things were put into place so that the two weeks would go as smoothly as possible, and it was indeed only two weeks because as soldiers everyone learned to adapt to a situation as quickly as possible, as such while things weren't completely smoothed out the unit was as cohesive as it could be in just two weeks of training, Tonto and Allison also both agreed that the next training would involve their bows and arrows so that their new unit would get used to the two using them from time to time, they were already adapting to Allison's powers seeing as how she deliberately used them on occasion so that they weren't nearly as surprised the next time as they were this time, this was because while they'd gotten clearance about Allison once they were confirmed to be her new unit that did  _not_  mean they were expecting her to use said powers their first time together

"Kerenai, did you have to surprise us?"

"Better get used to the idea now instead of sudden deployment and you being surprised by my abilities, because such surprises can  _kill_  people if they're unaware of what I can do and they're already cleared for it, emergency clearance isn't quite as dangerous but I still wish for warning abilities"

"How is emergency clearance not as dangerous?"

"Normally they're only exposed to me and my abilities once, however as part of my unit you're going to be exposed more often and the first time me using my abilities on the battlefield isn't the best time for you to learn what I can do with my abilities and as such you need to know now instead of during battle"

"Okay, how come Tonto is more adapted than we are?"

"He's been part of my unit since he joined the Reserves, by the way how comfortable do you guys feel about the abilities that you can use as well as I can?"

"Not the most comfortable yet, that will take longer but it's a handy thing if it's needed"

"Emergency only then until further notice"

"That's the best for everyone"

"Well for now we all have our civilian lives to get back to"

"Indeed, you are a Texas Ranger right?"

"Yep, time to go back to law enforcement"

"At least you don't have as much shifting in mental thoughts as most of us, and your requals are easier as well I bet seeing as how you shoot on a regular basis"

"I do have to do a minor shift, more non-lethal actions than lethal, and if I am doing non-lethal than I can't seriously injure the suspects, but yeah for shooting re-qualifying for weapons is indeed easier since I requal for police shooting on a regular basis"

Just then Allison received a message in Morse code

_Message_

-.- . .-. . -. .- .. -..- / .. - - . -.. .. .- - . .-.. -.- / - .-. .- -. ... ..-. . .-. .-. . -.. / - - / - - / .- ..- ... - .. -. .-.-.- / -.. .- .-.. .-.. .- ... / -. - - / ... .- ..-. . .-.-.- / . -.. -.-. / ... .- ... / ..-. ..- .-. - ... . .-. / -.. . - .- .. .-.. ... .-.-.- / .-. - - ..- ... / .. -. ..-. - .-. - . -.. / - ..-. / ... .. - ..- .- - .. - -. .-.-.- / .- .. .-.. .-.. / - . ... ... .- -. . / - -. -.-. . / ... .- ..-. . / .- -. .- .. -. .-.-.- / .-. - - -.- .. . ... / .- .-.. ... - / .. -. / .- ..- ... - .. -. .-.-.- / - .-. .- .. -. .. -. -. / ..- .-. / - - / -.- - ..- / .- -. -.. / .-. . .. -..

*Kerenai, immediately transferred to to Austin. Dallas not safe. EDC has further details. POTUS informed of situation. Will message once safe again. Rookies also in Austin. Training up to you and Reid*

_End Message_

"Looks like I'm going home with you Tonto, for some reason Dallas isn't safe for me, or rookie Texas Rangers, as such until I receive word that I can go home I'm going to need to find a place in Austin"

"You can stay with John and I Kerenai"

"Okay, what's John doing with you?"

"Got flooded out shortly before training, he called yesterday and mentioned he still hasn't found anything yet, as for you since we don't know how long you're staying it's best that you don't worry about trying to find a place that will let you rent month to month"

"Fine, but we'll be figuring out proper sleeping arrangements since I know you only have one guest room in the apartment"

"Understood, hopefully John can find a place soon though"

When Allison got to the Ranger headquarters in Austin she saw three rookies that had started just as she was leaving for training and they looked stressed if nothing else, she also saw an EDC officer waiting for her as well

"Hey Kerenai, EDC enemies have been threatening anyone with connections to the EDC, kids or otherwise, and with you...well you know full well how dangerous your connection is, the rookie Rangers are here because they don't have enough training in EDC matters to handle themselves, Lucas was  _supposed_  to come here as well but he made a valid point that someone who's both an EDC officer and a law enforcement officer was needed so he gets to stay, but at the EDC base there which has since doubled the guard"

"Well at least I know what's up now, John and I can handle training the rookies further and we'll get a message once things are safe to return, will the rookies get EDC training as well?"

"No, but that's because it's best that they get that training in Dallas for reasons that we're not sure of ourselves since it was the police department that made that decision"

"I think I can hazard a guess but I'm not telling you what that guess is"

"Very well, for now we need to be getting back to Dallas, hopefully the situation will be resolved soon but if not you'll get further orders from the Rangers for most of you, Kerenai you know what will happen in regards to orders if things aren't solved soon"

"I do indeed know, how soon is soon?"

"Um...that's up to the Cybertronians"

"Got it"

The next two months weren't the greatest in anyone's mind, the rookies were starting to chaff at their restrictions and Allison was starting to wonder if she would ever get back home to Dallas or receive further orders from her family

"Guys, if we don't hear something soon I'm going to make inquiries and find out what's going on in Dallas"

Suddenly a police officer bursts in with a piece of paper in his hands

"Message for you Kerenai, I've translated about two-thirds of it since the majority of the message is in Morse code, which I learned through means that I'm not explaining but some of it is in Russian and I don't know that language at all"

"And I do because of my decision to learn it due to family reasons"

Allison reads what was already translated and then translates the rest mentally and then gives off a huge sigh

"We're needed to help get Dallas back under control, but the rookies are to stay here as much as possible and I'm not exactly safe yet either, but I can protect myself better than the rookies, and we're being pulled out immediately if things escalate again, basically we're at the edge of the city ready to be sent back here at a moments notice"

Two weeks later and everyone originally sent to Austin was in a very precarious position once more, they had been doing okay on the edge of the city but their camp had been attacked several times since it had been set up and Allison knew that it was getting time for everyone to decide if they needed to be moved back to Austin or if they could finally return home, and Allison was also getting stressed about her using her abilities because she  _really_  didn't want to do it unless it was necessary because these particular enemies had partial immunity to her powers which meant she wasn't as effective against the enemy as others would be

"Hey guys, they're back, and this time I have no choice but to do something I was hoping to avoid"

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean... _this_ , ARRANYAN WINDS!"

Suddenly the enemy was pushed back but not by much, she used several other attacks as well but they weren't very effective and she avoided specific attacks that she knew would be useless against the current enemy. Once the battle ended everyone was still on an adrenaline rush when Barricade, Jazz and Ultra Magnus, who had been pulled away from Cybertron (he had left the governing of Cybertron in Starscream's hands per their leadership organization that they had thought of when they had first reunited as one race), came, they got hit by one of Allison's arrows that she had formed with her powers before she realized who had come up

"Sorry guys"

"You're on an adrenaline rush, and these particular enemies are similar but still different from us, we understand completely what happened just now"

"Okay, now what's the word about what's to happen next?"

"You guys are going back to Austin, but only because of the fact that while we  _think_  we've got things under control we're making sure and we need help from Austin once we  _are_  sure for the clean up process"

"You need us to confirm what you guys have said"

"Exactly"

"Okay, three days Magnus, then I'm calling"

"Got it Kerenai, we'll also be the one calling POTUS"

"Got it"

They get back to Austin and a week later the clean up process began, and while it would ultimately take three months it could have been much worse and everyone knew it

"Three months huh?"

"Yep, three months, I'm doing two month training in the military soon, Presidential orders Captain, I need the practice that this particular training is giving me"

"How soon is soon?"

"Sometime in summer, most likely in the next orders"

"I'm honestly surprised that you haven't been called in for Reserve training"

"Oh, I've been doing Reserve training, the weekends I visit my family is when I do the training, at least what training that the President decides I need since I can't get certain training while helping rebuild the city, the rest of the training is the rebuilding process"

"Didn't know that, wait...what training can their be in rebuilding?"

"Oh, there's plenty of training in rebuilding, we do have Engineers and a group called Sappers in the Army and the Sappers are explosives experts, I have been learning the different ways of bringing down a building with explosives, how to make building plans, how to use existing plans to rebuild buildings that aren't as severely damaged as others, some firefighting skills, and I could name at least five other skills that I don't feel like mentioning because those particular skills, while not exactly classified aren't important to the civilian sector so you don't need to know what I've been learning in the rebuilding process"

"Got it, will normal procedures be used?"

"Yes, they will indeed be used"

"Good, because things have been  _way_  too weird lately in regards to your orders, and the occasional way you get them"

"Not our fault"

"I know, but it's still good to know that the normal procedure will be used so that we're prepared...wait will you tell the group before training this time?"

"Yes, but only because of the fact that they need to know how long I'll be gone since normally it's only two weeks with the occasional exception per government decision"

"Right, but still I am wondering why the policy of just before you leave for long training was established"

"That's...a little complicated, but it involves reactions by some of the older officers that have since retired when I told them of long training right before I left, weekend training was fine but two weeks or longer...that wasn't the greatest"

"Very well, let's hope the same reactions don't happen this time"

"No kidding"

When Allison mentioned her two month at least training it was actually  _worse_ than the group that forced Allison to put the specific procedure that meant that she wouldn't warn the group for long training sessions and yet would warn them in good enough time for weekend training, including three or four day weekends

"And  _this_  is why I don't warn anyone but those that need to know and Lucas, because of this kind of reaction to the news"

"Should have known these guys would be just as bad"

"Yes, you should have"

"Okay that really old policy needed to be in place still to keep panicking down"

"Exactly"

"So I should have thought about panic as one of the reactions, I can't predict everything and in all honesty the secrecy ending is a wish I have had since I became your Captain, at least in regards to when you leave and for how long when you do extended training, what I don't get is why they don't panic if you tell them about deployment"

"Because as a Reserve I can be deployed at any time and that requires extra training, as such when I tell them I'm going to be deployed they can handle long training sessions in the time leading up to deployment because they know that training is the best way to keep me as safe as possible and make my unit as cohesive as possible as well"

"It really doesn't make much sense to me why deployment and training are different but apparently they are so I won't argue with what I see"

"Because generally for training I don't leave the country so I should be safe, while deployment is inherently more dangerous, as such most people don't see the sense in training longer than a weekend, even the two weeks of required training every year doesn't make much sense to them despite the fact that they might have thought about joining the military themselves and had heard about how Reserves get two weeks of training once a year while the rest of the time is once a weekend a month"

"Well at least if I ever get other police officers that are also in the Reserves I know what to do for them"

"Captain?"

"You're going to be retiring from both jobs within the next year or two while I still have at least five years before I retire, as such I need to know what to do for the person who takes my place, and then also know what to do for those in the Reserves before I actually retire, making your policy a police department policy even if not every officer will react like these guys do for some strange reason"

"Warning you now it's going to be a fight"

"How sure are you of that?"

"I've been trying to get that procedure in place since the first time I saw the reaction of training longer than a weekend with my old unit, I've been blocked at every turn, even my family hasn't gotten any where's with getting my personal procedure into actual police procedure for all police officers that are also in the Reserves of the military"

"Wait, why has your family gotten involved, or at least tried to?"

"They've heard complaints from EDC officers that are in the Reserves and are police officers"

"Oh, that would do it, bet the military also asked if they could help too"

"Don't know actually, I just know what's going on in regards to the EDC side of the fight"

"Okay, maybe me joining will help"

"Who knows, all I know is that we need the policy official for the department so as to prevent  _that_  mess out there from happening ever again through ignorance"

"For now we need to discuss what we're going to do if your policy isn't made official"

"Word of mouth most likely"

"Well let's hope my joining helps then"

"Let's hope, for now though you need to calm them down and let them know that the long training is in preparation for a new possible routine that may or may not become permanent depending on this rotation"

"Oh?"

"Yep, Reserve officers might be required to do base inspections on a regular basis if things go well enough this time as a means of seeing if a soldier is ready to be in an officer or not, and it could be used for other things as well depending on the training that's needed" (thinks) " _And I'm actually not lying, the President gave me a letter with the last one involving the training and said that after thinking about it base inspections was a good training scenario for potential officers and other situations as well, though for Tonto and I it's for when we go over to the EDC_ "

"If that turns out to be the case than we  _really_  need your policy to be official police policy"

"I know, but until that happens we're going to be dealing with panics depending on the unit"

The next month was when training happened for two months, before then though she and her Captain, along with the EDC  _finally_ got Allison's personal policy to become official police policy and thus unless it was weekend training only, only the Captain would be told how long training would be

"Well, at least the policy is official now"

"Indeed this should be very helpful"

"Let's hope so, for now though, you have training soon"

"Indeed I do"

"Kerenai...I...I have a bad feeling about this training session, please...be careful"

"I always am Captain, that doesn't necessarily mean I can always avoid injury, but I'm as safe as I can possibly be during both training and deployment"

"I know, and I also know that Tonto looks after you when he can as well, I guess...I guess everything that's happened over the past few months has me more tense whenever you're deployed for whatever reason"

"And I don't blame you for that tension"

"So, next week huh?"

"Yep, the rest of the group finds out about the policy next week, and that's also when I leave for two months of training"

A week later and Allison was leaving the station for her two month appointment, that's when the rest of the unit found out that Allison's personal policy, that the Captain had decided not to follow, was now official police policy

"So, two months?"

"At least yes, look, I know you guys don't like long training but this is important for reasons that I can't get into, you'll be kept informed if my training is extended past two months I promise"

The training was pretty easy at first, the unit investigated two bases and things while not perfect were pretty decent with only a few things that needed dealt with, and one of the issues for both bases was the fact that the problem had been that a training scenario that was pretty standard had unexpectedly been modified which meant that the training was in mild chaos and the chaos created some damage and mess, but once that was dealt with and everything else having been okay the two bases had passed inspection. The day after a base inspection Allison and her group were heading to a base when suddenly Allison stopped her vehicle and hopped out of the drivers seat going to the trailer that had her horse

"What's up Kerenai?"

Allison puts the tack she had available on her horse while speaking, a skill that not everyone had mastered

"I'm going to scout ahead, I got a bad feeling all of a sudden, if I'm not back in an hour go back to the base we just came from and have them come in guns blazing"

"But Kerenai"

"No Captain, I normally wouldn't do this but I am going to pull my special military rank which I can do in these situations, and not the EDC related pull by the way"

"Understood, one hour Kerenai, then we're doing what you said and getting back up"

"Good"

Allison quickly kicks up a lot of dust having her horse start off at a full gallop, but as she got closer she slowed the horse down and ultimately left the horse back behind nearby trees to do foot scouting and quickly discovered that the expected guard was  _not_  at their post, as such she brought out special scouting equipment she carried on her at all times and quickly discovered that the base had been taken over by EDC enemies with no one the wiser, she even heard just enough to know that that particular base was only the start of something much bigger, and that there were hostages in the base personnel and families at said base but she then quickly got away knowing that her time was limited and it was critical to let the group know that there were hostages and she got back just in time because the group was just mounting up to go back when they stopped at seeing Allison reporting back

"Report Kerenai"

"The base has been invaded, and they're using the base personnel and the families that stay on base as hostages, as such we can't go in guns blazing like the original plan I thought of states"

"We still need to go back to get back up and make a good plan"

"Agreed"

"All right everyone, mount up!"

And so they quickly go back to the base they just came from and reported the complete situation to the base commander and after they make a full report they make plans to take back the invaded base and rescue the hostages

"So are we agreed?"

"Yes we're agreed"

"Well then gentlemen, we attack at dawn, as such we need to get going to make sure we're there at the right time"

They ultimately took three days to free the fort because of course no plan ever survives first contact, as such things changed rapidly, but fortunately as military personnel they were ready for most of the problems that came up and had contingencies already made, there were a few unexpected things and minor hick-ups with a few of the pre-made contingencies but overall things worked out as planned


	41. Chapter 41

"Finally I thought we'd never get the job done without hurting those inside the base"

"We may not have completely succeeded Captain, but hopefully it won't be too base, how are the casualties on our end?"

"Not bad, sixty wounded, some pretty bad but no fatalities so far so that's something, what I'm wondering is why the EDC didn't get involved since we were fighting EDC enemies in the first place"

"Um...between rapid development and the fact that the nearest EDC base is currently two states away I felt it best that we handled this ourselves with the EDC on standby, one phone call and they would have dropped their equipment on an LZ" (landing zone) "where we told them it was at"

"And just why is the nearest base currently two states away?"

"Now  _that_  is classified beyond you, not to me because of circumstances that my Captain is already well aware of, even he isn't cleared to know about the current situation, all he knows is that I'm fully aware of the situation and have authorization to read him in at any point I feel it's necessary"

"For now this base needs to rebuild and we need to continue base inspections"

"Not for two days Kerenai, we can help with the cleanup process at least, this is partially because quite frankly we don't have the vehicles anymore remember?"

"And with only Tonto and I actually comfortable with riding horses that mode of transportation isn't recommended except at need"

"Exactly, besides we're not even at the right base for horses, though I'm surprised that Tonto didn't join you on the scouting mission"

"Only one horse Captain, we agreed beforehand about who would use the horse and who wouldn't at any given part of the mission"

"Well in either case we're stuck for a day or so"

"Understood, Captain's I think there's something you should read to help you cope with what's happened"

"Journals?"

"Yes Tonto, journals, I give mine to the base Captain you give yours to ours?"

"Sure, give them the specific start date?"

"Exactly"

And so that's exactly what they do and both Captain's read the specific journal entries that Tonto and Allison talked about

_Day 850_

came across a fort that was abandoned, decided that I need to go to the next nearest fort because quite frankly if a fort is abandoned it's not good, I got a bad feeling about this, especially since I remember what the Lone Ranger said about A's group coming across a silent and apparently abandoned fort when we crossed paths shortly after that incident, was supposed to deliver a message to the fort and since I can't I have to get the message to the next fort and hope that it's not abandoned as well, if it is...I don't know what I'm going to do

_Day 855_

took five days due to Indian raiding parties but I finally made it to the fort, this one wasn't abandoned luckily and I gave them the message intended for the fort that was abandoned and also about the abandonment of the fort and they're going to dispatch a small group to check things out hopefully it's simply an abandoned fort and not something more dangerous, in the meantime they're preparing for trouble since they have received word of the parties that I avoided through hiding

_Day 860_

Turns out the commanding officer of the first fort I was supposed to go to used common sense and abandoned the fort in the middle of the night, they went in the opposite direction that I had in an effort to not only try and find out the main Indian camp but also warn towns in that direction of the possible trouble since they're less protected than those in the direction of the fort I made it to due to terrain, they have since regained the fort and it's being reinforced soon enough, there were injuries but all soldiers are alive so at least my worst fears weren't realized

The next day Tonto and Allison were given their journals back and the day after that they continued the base inspections for the rest of the two months, and the rest of the inspections actually went smoothly

"Well, that was productive but a bit odd"

"Well it may have been odd, but if something happens during an overseas deployment we know what to do in the future"

"True enough, now for our normal every day civilian lives"

"You're in the most danger Kerenai"

"Hey, Mark's not exactly safe either as a firefighter"

"At least he's not getting  _shot at_  on a regular basis"

"No, he's just dealing with collapsing buildings and crash scenes"

"You're also dealing with car wrecks"

"Some of them by stupid kids driving drunk"

"No kidding, my last accident before training involved a drunk driver, three teenagers dead, one adult paralyzed, the teenagers were actually sober, the paralyzed adult was the one who drove drunk"

"SUV vs smaller car?"

"Not...exactly, more like SUV and traffic light vs small car"

"Ouch, I've seen that before and it's never pretty, that there were any survivors is amazing because generally even the SUV doesn't escape damage from the traffic light"

"I know, I think the only thing that saved the adult from being out and out killed was the angle that the cars hit, thus causing the SUV to hit the traffic light just right so that it paralyzed the driver instead of killing him"

"Sometimes drunks just have all the luck"

"Forgot you also deal with that situation Tonto"

"Yep, as a paramedic I'm also in the thick of it when it comes to drunk driving accidents"

"Well like already stated it's time for everyone to get back into your civilian lives"

And that's exactly what they do, the next five months were spent with the four friends making retirement plans and the plans by the EDC to take up new identities and faking their deaths


	42. Chapter 42

"Still I can't believe that the military isn't questioning you two retiring"

"Except they know how long we've been in the military and as such aren't surprised that we're thinking of retiring within the next few months, as for our civilian jobs, I've actually been getting looks and questions about how much longer I have before I retire since I really technically would only have a year or two if I still aged"

"True enough, as would John and Tonto, Dan is the only one who's job doesn't have an exact retirement age"

"Precisely"

"Well for now we still need to make a few more plans before we 'kill' ourselves off"

"Right, what's your family doing in regards to that situation?"

"They'll help us fake our deaths and make sure that we're settled in new false identities before truly sending us out on EDC missions, don't forget that that's another thing they're doing, giving us jobs"

"Okay, so first you guys also have to retire from your jobs"

"Yes, John and I have to retire from police work, Tonto has to retire from paramedic work and Tonto and I both have to retire from military duty"

"Don't forget Dan retiring from his job"

"Yeah, I might have to delay my entry by a year or so depending on what the plans are by the EDC in regards to faking my death"

"That's right, we get individualized faked deaths unless an opportunity arises that allows more than one person to 'die' at once"

"But it can't be deliberate with us four"

"True, but with Tonto and I, training in the Reserves isn't precisely deliberate"

"Good point"

"However that works to the EDC's advantage in a way, they can fake two deaths at once in a 'training' accident that occasionally happens in the military"

"Well in either case there's things that still need to be done to help us get new lives within the EDC, oh by the way what about you being a leader at need?"

"That's...a complicated aspect but we've already got it worked out"

"Very well, all we can do now is wait and get things resolved when we can"

"Yes, that's exactly all we can do"

"Though in all honesty the whole retirement plan and then you guys dying might be the best for you and Tonto"

"No Dan, it's good for John as well, but we'll see as things develop over the next few months"

"Right, I forgot that they can make plans on the go if need"

"And that might have to be the case"

"Which means Prowl most likely"

"Agreed, he's the best at making on the spot plans"

"You're not too shabby yourself Kerenai"

"He's trained me over the years which is why I'm as good as I am, but he's the tactician, not me"

"Okay then, well for now all we can do is continue doing our jobs and see where that leads us in regards to your family's plans"

"Indeed, time for bed in the meantime due to the fact that quite frankly I have  _no clue_  why all of us are needed in Dallas by the Texas Rangers"

"Your Captain didn't tell you?"

"Nope, they said something about Governor permission to keep it a secret, which  _does_  happen but not often"

"Okay, was just hoping you knew what was going on"

"Not this time"

It turned out that the Governor wanted to do mass casualty training in Dallas after talking with the other states about the feasibility of doing so, but Dan was going to be involved in two ways, first he was legal council to make sure that the Governor could indeed do such training, and then he would be a victim, as for Tonto he was involved since the military wanted him to do updated training but couldn't get things together on the military side and decided the civilian side was good enough, as for Allison, enough said in the military's mind due to her being a Texas Ranger. For John he was in Dallas because the Governor was one of the few who was cleared up to the point where he knew that Allison and the three others were good friends and that the two people with the same last name and the Native American had a deeper connection to each other related to their pasts while Allison had met them later but had a pretty good connection for reasons that he wasn't cleared for

"Well, looks like everything's legal Governor"

"Okay then, we'll start the scenario in five hours, and by the way you're one of the victims"

"Better not kill me off then, something's up with at least my uncle, but I also suspect that something's up with Allison as well"

"Don't worry, you were never slated to die, concussion and a couple of broken limbs but that's it"

"Just making sure due to our history together"

"I know some of your history together Reid, but part of my decision is I initially wanted more people in the kill zone but was told by other states that such training isn't such a good idea"

"Mass casualty training is good, too many casualties in one area is demoralizing, I've seen that training before and the rescuers felt hopeless in the face of such death"

"That's what they warned me about, now then like I said, five hours before the scenario starts"

Overall the scenario wasn't the greatest but it wasn't completely horrible either, the main problem was a communication breakdown in the midst of chaos

"Well, there's work to do in regards to such a scenario again but it wasn't completely terrible at least"

"You know sir you're right, there's definitely room for improvement but it wasn't a complete disaster"

"So, I want to know what kinds of improvements might be needed on the police end"

"Too many to tell you today, the main problem was a breakdown in communication but there were other problems as well, both that stemmed from the communication breakdown and others that weren't because of the communication breakdown"

"Than that's what we'll focus on fixing this time around"

"Which I can't partake in because of training"

"I thought you were exempt this month"

"Oh, the Reserves aren't doing the training per se, it's something else that I need to train in that I'm talking about"

"Wait, it's Texas Ranger training then?"

"Not...entirely, it's a bit more complicated than that but the Texas Ranger training is part of what I need to deal with"

What the Governor was unaware of due to the fact that he didn't need to get involved was that the EDC had decided to do training with the State Troopers of all 50 states over the course of several months and this month was the month that involved both Texas and Hawaii

"Well than I won't ask for anything else about you being involved in the scenario, hopefully other officers will be able to give me the information that I need since it's not just Texas Rangers that are involved in an incident like the training scenario"

"That should be possible, if there's anything you still need to know afterwords just let someone from command know and they'll send you a Texas Ranger"

"Will do, how soon do you have training?"

"Tomorrow at the earliest, three days from now at the latest, why?"

"Just wanting to know about when you'll become incommunicado, or close to it depending on the training"

"If I'm really needed the Rangers will call me in, just like with all other Texas Rangers either in training or undercover missions"

"Okay, for now though you have preparations to make and I have more aftermath work to do in regards to the training that we just did"

Three weeks later and the training wasn't going the greatest for the simple reason that not only did most officers have trouble switching between enemies in training there were a few times that what they thought was training wasn't and they couldn't tell the difference between a real emergency and a training scenario

"Okay...they  _really_  need to know the difference between training and a real thing"

Allison then switches to Russian so as to keep the conversation private

*Tonto, family thinks you need to do some learning about them, basically have you train under Ratchet,  _before_  we join the EDC after they fake our deaths*

*Already been learning what I could in secret, will ask for some hands on experience though*

*When did you do that?*

*Started three years ago, just in case*

*I think I can even guess the incident that got you started in the first place*

*If you mean when you were doing your annual family training and the training became an actual emergency because of some sort of engineering incident that caused fire than yes that's the incident that got me started on the training*

*That's the incident alright, we nearly called in local paramedics because of how many human injuries there were*

Suddenly they hear throat clearing

"Could you two bring the conversation back to the whole group?"

"Sorry, a little complicated in what was being discussed, but at least we have a general idea of what's going on now, and by the way Captain Faireborn thanks for making sure that paramedics were included and working out a deal with the military in Tonto's and several others Reserve duty compliance with this training"

"No problem, we've been wanting more regular Reserve cross-training in all honesty"

"The main problem is the scheduling of training"

"We know, but there's not much we can do about it"

"Well for now it's time for everyone to get home"

Three hours later and finally parks at her apartment complex, but as soon as she gets out Allison sees Dan on the ground and halts very briefly in shock and then says one word in a very small whisper

"No..."

She runs to Dan and while doing what she could for him flashes back to another time period and another incident involving Dan unconscious

_Past_

Allison and her group were riding to the next town when suddenly they see a riderless horse standing next to it's owner, and as they got closer they thought they recognized the horse

"Hey Kerenai, am I seeing things or is that Victor?, the horse of Dan Reid"

"I don't...come on let's see for sure"

They quickly find out that the horse  _was_  Victor, and that Dan was unconscious, once started on treating what they knew to be wrong Allison started giving orders

"You, go into town, I need you to do two things, the first is to see if there's a doctor in town, the other goal is to try and see if Tonto is there as well, because Tonto and the Lone Ranger have to be nearby if Dan's here, you two search in the area near the town in case they're at a camp on the outskirts of town like they normally do, the rest of us will do what we can and set up a perimeter since I don't want to move him unless absolutely necessary"

Fifteen minutes later the doctor was there and fifteen minutes after the doctor arrived Tonto did, the Lone Ranger having decided the better part of valor was to stay at camp. The doctor ultimately had Dan transported into town where he would stay for three days, two of them unconscious, and even then they stayed near town for two weeks just in case Dan had to deal with after effects of the attack on him

"Well, time for us to get going then, with Dan feeling better we can go our separate ways again"

"Right, it's better that ways in the first place, we can cover more areas split up as much as possible, though your group never really splits up"

"We have our reasons as you well know Lone Ranger"

"I know, see you when we next cross paths"

_Present_

Ultimately Dan would have a mild concussion and a broken ankle, relatively minor injuries all things considered in how Allison had found Dan

"Dan, how did you get into the condition I found you in?"

"Not through any one person's fault I can assure you that much, my job decided to go out to celebrate a co-worker being promoted and I tripped over a pot hole, ankle didn't hurt at the time and when I did a self-check I didn't discover anything so I simply enjoyed the promotion party. And since I was close enough to your place to walk I decided to sleep at your place that night since I was up extremely late, plus I think some food didn't agree with me, as I was in your parking lot I tripped again and that's why you found me in the state I was in, due to the fact that I hit my head and knocked unconscious"

"Okay, at least it wasn't your fault entirely, the person in charge of my apartment complex is actually not happy about the parking lot either, but they're fighting the city on getting repairs done, not even private contracting is happening this time around, he's tried  _believe_ me"

"You've heard the arguments before haven't you?"

"They're not arguments, they're out and out shouting matches"

"Okay, how many times?"

"Enough to know that he's reaching his limits on fighting for repairs to get done, I'm about ready to bring in my family discreetly to save his voice"

"My job said that they're looking into that incident your job asked them to look into recently by the way"

"Good that's needed in all honesty"

"What I'm wondering is what exactly that business is since the section that I'm in isn't involved in the investigation"

"Sorry Dan, but that's unfortunately Texas Ranger business only until further notice"

"Will they tell the public at need?"

"Yes, right now it's primarily internal, but if needed things will go public I promise"

"You sure?"

"Positive, I know what's going on Dan and as such know  _exactly_  what your job is investigating and why it's Texas Ranger business only until further notice"

"Your job your business, if it affects Uncle John though..."

"Don't worry it shouldn't affect John, or you, but I won't know that for sure until business is concluded"

"Understood"

Three weeks later and the business that Dan had been wondering about was actually concluded. What Dan's legal office and the Texas Rangers were discussing was possibly buying up new property for another training facility, and things were finally settled and they would start building within a month with agreements made part of what the group was investigating was the previous owners of the land due to possible legal troubles they had been in, the Texas Rangers wanted to make sure that they wouldn't affect any legal cases or get a bad name within the community by building at that location

"So, time to tell the public?"

"Yes, time to tell the public"

And so that's exactly what they do, part of why they did that was because of something that had happened a few years before Allison was even born. The incident meant that police policies needed changing and with property acquirement it was even more important that they were more open in what was happening to them


	43. Chapter 43

 

 

 

"So that's what's been going on with your group huh?"

"Yes Dan, that's what's been going on"

"So...are you going to be involved with the building of the facility?"

"No, that's already being dealt with, contractors are already preparing to break ground, what's being finalized is the design of the facility"

"I would have thought that was already dealt with"

"We thought everything about the design had been finalized, but then we got some specific rules about the building that is going to be done and as such we need to do some redesigning to fall within the rules we have to follow"

"Why are there specific rules?"

"That area has special zoning, and there's another complication that I can't explain because even I don't fully understand it, in any case it means we have to do some redesigning to be within code"

Suddenly a co-worker of Dan's came bursting in

"Kerenai, message for you, your job sent it over saying that you would know best what to do since they didn't get far into it for some reason"

_Message_

\- - / .-. .-. . ... .. -.. . -. - / - ..-. / ..- -. .. - . -.. / ... - .- - . ... .-.-.- / - .-. . .-. .- - .. - -. / . .- -. .-.. . / ..-. .- .. .-.. ..- .-. . .-.-.- / -. . . -.. / .-. . .. -. ..-. - .-. -.-. . - . -. - ... .-.-.- / .-. . .-.. .- -.- / - . ... ... .- -. .. -. -. / .- ...- .- .. .-.. .- -... .-.. . / - -. .-.. -.- .-.-.- / -.-. - - - ..- -. .. -.-. .- - .. - -. / .-. - ... ... .. -... .-.. -.- / ... .- -.-. -.- . -.. .-.-.- / -.. - / -. - - / .-. . .-. .-.. -.- / - - / - . ... ... .- -. . .-.-.- / .-. . .-. . .- - / -.. - / -. - - / .-. . .-. .-.. -.- / - - / - . ... ... .- -. . .-.-.- / .-. . .-. .-.. -.- / .- .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / .. -. / -.- - ..- .-. / .-. . ... .-. - -. ... . / - - / - ... .. ... .-.-.- / -.-. .- .-. - .- .. -. / -.-. .- .-. ... - -. .-.-.-

*To President of United States. Operation Eagle failure. need reinforcements. relay messaging available only. communication possibly hacked. do not reply to message. repeat do not reply to message. reply will be in your response to this. Captain Carson.*

_End message_

"Right, Dan I need to borrow your desk real quick to copy this message, and then I need use of your incinerator, it's that classified"

"Got it"

Allison quickly copies the message on paper that she had that was official. Once that was done she went to the Post Office to make sure that the message was sent off via the Pony Express

"Is there a Pony Express Rider here?"

"No"

"Where's the nearest Rider?, and why are both Riders out anyways?"

"The nearest Rider is the next town over, as for why we don't have any Riders, it's because both the Governor of Texas  _and_  the Governor of California needed them on official business"

"Okay, next town over it is then because this message is Pony Express only"

In the next town she surprised the Post Office by stating that she had something for the Pony Express which meant it was official government business, it also meant that it was urgent since she also said that her normal Post Office had both Riders out and she needed to send the message out that day

"Where's the ultimate destination?"

"White House, standard rules apply, minus the reply section, that's taken care of within the message"

"Got it, Governor or other?"

"Other, if stopped by military give message to highest ranking soldier, they'll pass the message on themselves...wait one exception to the rule, if they're in the Reserves don't give them the message, that's because they're doing a training exercise most likely"

"Military communication that's important enough for Pony Express?"

"You know I can neither confirm nor deny that question"

"Right, but it's something that if needed we can entrust the message to the military?"

"Yes, if needed you can trust the military to get the message to it's destination"

"Okay, I'll make sure that message is passed on"

"Good, here's the money for the mail"

Allison then gets back to the office to find chaos had erupted in the hour and a half that she was gone

"What's wrong?"

"It's...not actually clear what we're dealing with, there was a phone call to the Captain about ten minutes after you left to speak with Dan about something and we've been trying to get straight answers and organized since then"

"Right, I'll be back in a moment, there's a Captain that has some answering to do"

Allison marches into the Captain's office (she was the only person who ever did that, and had permission to do so considering her complicated relationship with the EDC and military), slammed the door and they soon heard muted shouting for five minutes before there was quite for another ten minutes, but while they couldn't actually hear anything they could tell that the two were talking considering that while their vision wasn't clear there was a little detail they could get and they were obviously in conversation with one another. Finally though both Allison and the Captain came out of the office

"Okay everyone, I know that things have been weird since the phone call and I can finally tell you what it's all about. Ten minutes after Kerenai left to talk to Dan Reid about something I received a phone call which she has heard since I record every phone call, it was a threat that was in all actuality pretty vague, but we still need to take seriously, I don't fully understand it but Kerenai said she has a few ideas as to what was being discussed"

"Indeed I do, there's three separate different threats potentially, all local by the way, and when I say local I mean every threat is targeting something in Texas"

"What are the threats?"

"A hydroelectric plant in Corpus Christi, either a medical clinic or some sort of business center in San Antonio, that was was  _not_  specific at all, and a demonstration in Houston, the last one already has plenty of protection due to what the demonstration is about. Now then there is also the possibility that I could be wrong because the Captain's right about things being a bit vague in the threat department so just in case be ready for  _ **TROUBLE**_ at a moments notice"

Three weeks later and the attacks had indeed happened, however Allison wasn't aware that what they had taken down was only one cell of the terrorist group, there were other cells and they were about to find that out the hard way. Allison was doing paperwork on a robbery case when suddenly a regular police officer just busted in

"Message for you guys! And I think it's serious"

Allison and the rest of the Texas Rangers with her listened to the message and everyone was mad by the end of it

"And this is where having the number of an FBI agent comes in real handy"

"No kidding, how fast can you get them?"

"Depends on if they're in the field or not"

"Right, leave a message if needed?"

"Coded message, one that will let him know it's me"

"Do it"

"Wait, why would you even need a coded message to identity yourself?"

"Not cleared rookie, just understand that it  _is_  needed"

"Well, actually he is cleared to know that it's because of something that happened before even  _you_  were born Kerenai...at least I think it was before you were born, I might be getting dates confused"

"Oh you're getting your dates confused, but he is cleared to know a little bit more now that I think about it, it's in regards to an incident while I was at the police academy training, the actual details are actually still classified but let's just say that because of what happened during my academy years policies within the federal government regarding contact with certain people was changed or enacted"

"And that's both in the civilian world and police world, something about how they had to think about or work alongside the EDC to make the changes"

"Something like that, it's a bit more complicated but they can't know any more right now"

Allison quickly dials the number and everyone is quiet so that Allison could know immediately if she had to pass on a message or not


	44. Chapter 44

"Hey it's Allison Kerenai calling for Agent Henderson is he available?...I see...how soon is he expected to return?...I see...I see...can I give you a message to pass on?...tell him that Kerenai says that the prairie of Texas is no longer golden or green but blackened with fire, and that the fire will spread to the oil rigs of Mexico or Louisiana if not taken under control immediately...yes he'll understand what the message is about and will know what to do with it...right...thanks...bye"

She sees the entire group looking confused about the coded message

"I know it makes no sense to you guys but he'll know what I mean when he hears the message"

"Let's hope so because that is the  _vaguest_  message I have ever heard, doesn't say how he knows it's really from you though besides your name"

"Oh it let's him know, it's just not obvious that it'll let him know"

"If you're sure than fine, let's just hope he gets the message soon"

"He should"

"How certain about that are you?"

"Very certain, there are policies in place that means that any Federal agent gets urgent messages ASAP"

"Got it"

An hour later and Allison's work phone rang

"Kerenai speaking go ahead...hey Henderson...yeah, my job received a threatening phone call about an hour ago and it referenced several locations that are outside the jurisdiction of the Texas Rangers, and one that is blatantly Federal jurisdiction due to the fact that the call I believe references either Yellowstone national park or the Grand Canyon national park, that part wasn't very clear on that aspect, I can e-mail you a list of other potential targets after I finish the phone call...yeah...okay...okay...will do Henderson...bye"

She hangs up the phone and sends the e-mail immediately

"And now all we can do is wait and see what pans out from the phone call"

"What was that about oil rigs then?"

"That's part of the code to let him know the urgency of the message, different locations equal different levels of urgency, and like I said there's other aspects of the message that let him know for sure that the message was from me"

"Fine, can you tell me what he wanted you to do?"

"Yes actually I can, he wants me to field any calls related to what I just talked to him about due to him deciding that a task force is needed and we'll be the location where we answer any questions that we can and forward questions that we can't to him"

"Naturally you would need help with that assignment so of course we also need to know"

"Exactly"

Ten hours later and things were starting to get crazy

"Fran I need you to get line four, Andrew line seven, and someone make a coffee run, we're gonna need it soon"

"Better make it a dinner run, fast food variety by the way"

"Minus Kelsey, she can't have any peanuts and most oils..."

"Right"

"And don't forget about Kerenai's onion allergy!"

"I won't!"

"You'd better not, cooked onions don't give me any warnings!"

All Alison sees is a wave of a hand and then the officer was gone, she sees a temporary officer (temporary in that they were normally posted in Garland but Dallas needed him and as such was assigned to Dallas) looking at her disbelievingly about her allergy warning and says it out loud

"Seriously?"

"Yes seriously, and my onion allergy is like Kelsey's peanut allergy"

"Correction guys because that was my allergist, I have a peanut and soy allergy with equal severity, we finally figured out what landed me in the hospital two weeks ago"

"Suddenly or not?"

"Not...at least not in the normal sense, for whatever reason I had never had soy before a year ago and then simply never had a reason to be exposed again since I am so careful about my peanut allergy, two weeks ago there was something that was peanut free but not soy free, guess what my body decided to do when that happened?"

"Right, no more fast food for you"

"No kidding, it's too dangerous"

"What I'm wondering is how it's not too dangerous for Allison"

"Onions are easier to detect, Kelsey's allergies aren't"

"How do uncooked onions even give you a warning in the first place?"

"I become a sneezing mess around uncooked onion"

"Oh...that would do it"

"Yes it would"

"In any case Kelsey needs a dinner alternative and you might need it as well"

"Oh that's not a concern, I have various dinner options planned out at all times just in case it turns out that my original plans don't work out for whatever reason"

"Same here, I know something I can eat that's nearby"

"Okay, now that that's settled time to get back to work until dinner arrives, then it's a short shift change"

"Wrong, two hours at least for everyone including me, we need the break"

"Kerenai's right, we do need the break, for more than just eating reasons, ten hours of this..."

"Seven and a half"

"Well in any case we've been at this for a long time now and are getting exhausted mentally"

Half an hour later and Allison was reading the journals

_Day 300_

It's been three hundred days since that day and I'm wondering if what I'm seeing today happened in K's time, because from what I am hearing there are several different groups working together to solve something that's happened recently, I too have been asked to help but I don't know what exactly I'm supposed to do is yet, but hopefully I can find out soon enough, though I think even if they aren't formed until much later I am starting to see the start of an organization that K sees on occasion in their time, though I wonder what the Lone Ranger and Tonto would think about this cooperation between the Secret Service and the Pinkerton agency

Allison reads several more journal entries and then gets back to work, and over the next three months the Texas Rangers settled into a routine of keeping people on rotation between the task force hotline (the leads had petered out and some of the attacks ultimately turned out to be further out in the year than they had thought originally) and regular police work, as for Allison's family and the four who were supposed to have joined the EDC within the next few months had those plans pushed back yet again to get the current situation under control

"So, who thinks that we're being played with?"

"I don't think we're being played with I know we're being played with it's too familiar with another group that I was exposed to a while back, when I was just a kid"

"There's a pattern?"

"Sort of, they threaten and make a couple of actual attacks, then back off until we relax our vigilance then renew their attacks with fervor a very dangerous pattern in all reality"

"Are there any differences though?"

"Yeah actually, the way the threats came in, the last group didn't call, they taunted via the news or letters sent to victim's places"

"Change in patterns aren't always a good thing"

"No, they're not"

Suddenly an officer rushed in

"Hey guys, I got a message, however the Morse code looks weird"

"Let me see I might figure it out"

As soon as Allison sees the message she pales and sighs at the same time

"I can account for the differences at least, about two an a half years ago Russia discovered that they needed a variety in the Morse code because just like in WWII a lot of codes were cracked, though never the Navajo code, they needed an uncrackable code as well. As such they turned to...well unique family members in my case. Anyways with their help they created a code based in the original Morse code which is international, mixed it up with Russian and something that I have no clue what to call it in all reality because it seems to mix Chinese and Japanese writing characters, blended everything together to make up a unique code which could be sent over our Morse code system at a moment's notice. Because of my Russian heritage and unique background in who raised me it was decided I needed to be taught the code and as such I know how to translate this mess, it'll take me about an hour though because this message is  _complicated_ "

An hour later and Allison was finished with the translation

"Well, now I know what's going on, the group that threatened us is actually international, Russia has been attacked themselves lately but thought they were the only ones being targeted, when they decided to check up on the international connections due to Interpol they found out about the United States being attacked by these guys"

"That's not good"

"Might actually help guys, because the Russian's aren't very happy and are willing to do full cooperation to get those that attacked their country"

"Right, you're our primary coordinator Kerenai, at least until we get another person fluent in Russian down here"

"Not likely Captain, most people who are fluent are currently doing something in another part of the government, that's all I know by the way so don't ask me for more details even if you're cleared for them"

"Why aren't you cleared yourself?"

"It's not that I'm not cleared, it's that I'm not involved in that project so I don't need to know anything other than that Russian speakers aren't available and that I was deliberately left out due to my two different jobs that need me"

"Being a police officer and Reserve officer keeps you from government projects at times doesn't it?"

"Yes it does indeed, the only exceptions are when the President pulls me in for whatever reason"

"And he can do that at any time since he's your Commander-in-chief"

"Exactly, Presidential orders trump anyone else's orders"

"Well for now we'll still try and get you a relief so that you're not falling behind in case a call comes in and you're asleep at the time since even  _you_  need to sleep on occasion"

"That's just something we're gonna have to deal with until further notice Captain, fortunately there are a few Russians who also speak fluent English, unless they're stressed and forget so that should help things at least slightly"

"Agreed, for now we'll just have to deal like you said"


	45. Chapter 45

That night Allison was once more sent back to the past in her dreams which was rare but did occasionally happen, usually during an unusual work period or in this case it was a fevered memory because unfortunately she had food poisoning (unintentional though because the place that normally was good about food handling had unknowingly given out spoiled food due to freezer and walk-in problems that weren't detected immediately like normal) and the food poisoning was severe enough that it caused her fever and chills

_Past_

Allison and her group had simply been riding towards a town when they were ambushed by criminals, fortunately they managed to get things under control but three men were injured and they were forced to retreat. Once in town the Sheriff explained that they had been bank robbers and unfortunately the posse had been forced to do nothing because their horses had all been turned loose and scared off by explosions. When the group heard that their three friends would be fine with a little rest they were very relieved

"They can't leave today though they need to remain under my care just in case something went wrong"

"We understand doctor, can we see them even if they are asleep?"

"Sure"

Once they left the doctor's office they went outside of town to make camp and then went back in for supplies and saw Tonto and Dan which meant that the Lone Ranger was either in a camp himself or in town in disguise

"Hey Dan, Tonto"

"Hey...been a while"

"Yes it has indeed been a while, where's your friend?"

"Um..."

"Dan..."

"Him...him hurt...bad...he might...might not make it"

"What about a doctor Tonto?"

"Him not want doctor, him say doctor not able to help him, not even nearby fort would work according to him, friend say live or die...it up to him"

"Maybe...maybe we can help, we're not going any where's for a bit anyways"

"Where's three of your group?"

"They themselves are injured, according to the doctor it isn't too serious though so that's something at least"

"We take you to camp, maybe you can help"

When Allison and the others get to the Lone Ranger's camp they discover that things while bad weren't quite as bad as Tonto thought, but they also realized that this was some sort of plan of the Lone Ranger's and decided to help in very minor ways, actually making him sick, and helping fake the fever, but it wasn't totally faked seeing as how one of the wounds did indeed get infected and nothing was helping with the infection either. Finally the Lone Ranger gave the group (who he knew was helping his plan along on the second day of their assistance) a signal that it was time to really fake his death and that's what they do, saying that they would take care of the arrangements since Tonto and Dan were too emotionally drained. Once they were alone with the Lone Ranger he sat up and Allison confronted him

"Okay Lone Ranger, what's going on that your death had to be faked?"

"A government official came to me alone in camp three days before we were attacked on the way to a town to help an old friend of ours. They mentioned that someone was after something involving my past and also something involving a boat that is shipping government property, though I don't know exactly what that boat is shipping. Tonto and Dan can't be involved this time since they're harder to disguise and fake being a criminal than me because of my mask, however they also realized that the group is also after me and my friends and so came up with the idea of me faking my death, Tonto was supposed to send a telegram to a place that was prearranged and that I asked for before I got too ill. Now with you guys moving me that changes things"

"Maybe not, we can be in town and meet the government official at the same time as Tonto, the government partially knows about us anyways and so the official should be willing to come with me and we'll take them to our camp where you'll be hiding, but first we're going to help you disguise yourself so that you can get through town without any problems with either the towns people or Dan and Tonto"

The next day and Allison brought the government official to their camp after the official met with Tonto and Dan in secret and everything was explained to the official since the official hadn't received full orders regarding the Lone Ranger's mission, and Kerenai and her group was a sudden added bonus in the official's mind one that he wanted to use pretty much immediately

"This is going to be complicated, and then there's the fact that we're lying to Tonto and Dan"

"Tonto has thought me dead a few times already and it's never easy for him, as for Dan...there's no choice if I want to keep them alive"

The next two months weren't very easy on Allison and her group but finally the mission of the Lone Ranger's was over and he was reunited with Dan and Tonto, both of whom weren't very happy but also understood what the government was trying to do

"For now you three need to readjust to one another, and we need to get going ourselves, we've been putting something off between the injuries and this government assignment"

"Right, see you guys whenever we next meet up"

"Will do"

"Oh, and other certain arrangements are already taken care of guys Kerenai took care of them herself a short while ago"

"Thanks Kerenai"

"No problem"

_Present_

Allison while having her fevered memory was unaware of her fellow Texas Rangers calling for an ambulance and the doctors doing their best to figure out the cause of her fever, and once food poisoning discovered tried to figure out who else might have been exposed to alert other hospitals to food poisoning patients with potential fever and other serious symptoms

"Well, now we really need a Russian speaker to help since our primary Russian speaker is down right now"

"It gets worse"

"How so?"

"We don't know how severe the food poisoning is or if our treatments will be enough to get her through this, plus if any of you guys also had the same food..."

"No, she always gets a specific meal from that place nearly every time because of a food allergy, she  _can_  have other things but she has to ask the cashier and read the labels herself since all of us can miss things when reading food labels"

"Speaking of food allergies, what is she allergic to so that we know what she can't eat once she's actually well enough to have solid foods again?"

"Onions, she's anaphylactic by the way with cooked onions, even uncooked onions give her warning in that she apparently becomes a sneezing mess around uncooked onions, at least that's what she says"

Suddenly they see Dan who had been told what had happened and had gotten to the hospital as quickly as he could

"She's not kidding, I've seen that reaction a couple of times, it's not a pleasant time for her since allergy medicines don't do anything for her onion allergy, apparently seasonal allergies are a different thing and allergy medicines do work"

"Well in any case we know her food allergy, at least one of them, does she have any others that you know of?"

"Not that I'm aware of"

Everyone else confirmed that they too were unaware of any other food allergies that she might have had, and they also confirmed no known medical allergies, and the hospital was already well aware of her medical procedure fevers and as such were already prepared to take care of that problem should it arise

"Let's just hope her usual issues when she's in hospital doesn't happen because otherwise she's in deep trouble, deeper than she is now"

"No kidding"

"Dan, do you guys know Russian?, because if you do we're going to need your uncle up here"

"Yes, we're completely fluent, Allison made sure of that while we got to know her since she sometimes slips into Russian, either that or just simply wants to talk in the native tongue of her grandparents on either her mother or father's side"

"Then we'll need John ASAP, tell him?"

"You could call his station you know"

"True enough"

Unfortunately John was unavailable because there were problems in Austin which meant that he was stuck there and unable to help Dallas

"Now what?"

"No idea in all honesty, we'll still need another Russian speaker cleared to work with us, and by the way Dan, Tonto is unable to because of his paramedic/Reserve duty"

"Oh I wasn't about to suggest that, but what I  _was_  going to suggest was checking with the EDC"

"That might work actually, we'll call them in about an hour or two and go from there"

Fortunately for the Texas Rangers the EDC was able to provide another Russian speaker, as for Allison she would wind up in a coma due to a combination of the food poisoning fever and unfortunately her usual issue of her getting a fever whenever medical procedures were done nine times out of ten. She would remain in a coma for two months, part of it was medically induced but the majority was a natural coma as her body's defense against everything that was happening at the moment, her body realized she was in trouble and went on the defense of putting her in a coma and slowing down her body functions so as to give the rest of her body a fighting chance with the aid of modern medicine

"She's finally coming out of the coma, but...we don't know how the coma affected her"

"We'll know soon enough, but hopefully she should surprise you in how well she ultimately is"

Allison did surprise the doctors on how well she ultimately was, she was physically weak from being in bed for two months despite what little physical therapy was done while she was unconscious to prevent bed sores and help her from losing too much muscle mass, and her left leg was temporarily paralyzed due to the fact that the fever from the food poisoning had affected her nerves temporarily. But otherwise she was mentally at full capacity and it was quickly deduced that her temporary slurred speech was because of the drugs getting out of her system the further away she was from the sedatives the better she was able to talk

"Okay, I think your medical records should be updated to indicate that those particular sedatives are last resort because you don't have the greatest reaction to them"

"Agreed, but if the medically induced coma is needed and those particular drugs are involved than it is what it is, I'll just be out of it a little longer than other people"

"You know that you're going to need PT to get back to full strength and then you're going to have to pass tests to return to your two jobs"

"Oh there's plans involving my PT and getting me back to strength and making sure that I'm not pushing myself or faking my health status"

"Oh?"

"Yep, you'll find out soon enough, as soon as I get clearance from the hospital most likely"

What Allison was talking about was a standard procedure that had been established since she was eighteen and had been hurt pretty badly shortly after her return from the past. Due to the fact that fishing was year round, even if specific fisheries were only open for certain times of the year, it was decided she would work on a fishing vessel that was either operated by former military personnel or by Captains who had relatives in the family and as such knew what was needed to make sure that they were truly back in shape (they had been forced to take annual Marine basics up to a certain point). In either case they were alerted by the President about Kerenai needing to be on their vessel to ensure that she was indeed properly regaining her strength and not faking anything in how well she was healing and getting her true strength back. This time around depending on when she was released from the hospital PT she would either do shrimp fishing or crab fishing

"Well for now you're an inpatient for PT"

"Oh I know that, I just hope that I'm not in here for several months"

"We'll see where we go"

A month and a half later and Allison was on the Fishing Vessel Broden, her first day on the boat until further notice, her Texas Ranger job wasn't happy about it but since it was Presidential orders they had no say

"Okay everyone Kerenai is here for the full season as far as I'm aware but that might change depending on several factors"

"Guys, I need you to push me and give any observations to the Captain, there are reasons behind that that unfortunately you're not able to know, but it's important"

A week later and Allison was in the wheelhouse with the Captain looking over some charts when they heard an emergency call over the radio, as soon as they heard the words Coast Guard the radio was turned up in regards to volume

"...repeat we're at coordinates 015 west 559 east"

"Understood, we're on our way"

The radio volume was then turned down to where they could still hear things in the background but they could talk to each other in normal voices

"So...we close enough Kerenai?"

Allison does a quick check

"We're close enough, assist at need?"

"Yep, we have no clue what the emergency currently is, if they're going into the water they might need us to rescue them even with a life raft"

As they got closer they quickly found out that it was a medical emergency that was the problem. They also soon discovered that there was a language barrier partially as well which complicated things. However they still remained close just in case of other issues because of the fact that the weather was starting to pick up in regards to winds. And it was quickly established by the two people in the wheelhouse on the Broden that the Coast Guard would be unable to lower the rescue swimmer

"Tell them as they get closer?"

"Oh yeah"

They soon hear the Coast Guard helicopter mentioning having the vessel in sight and the plan, that's when the Captain interrupts the conversation having already worked on pronunciation on the way there seeing as how they quickly discovered that the vessel in distress had a Russian name

"Coast Guard Rescue 5529, this is the Fishing Vessel Broden, winds are too severe to lower your Rescue Swimmer, we'll assist by getting the injured man off the Fishing Vessel драгоценный камень, be advised the crew is a mixture of British and Russian immigrants, some of which are limited in English proficiency, so...you might want to make sure you have a translator on standby or take one of our crew who is fluent in Russian with you just in case"

"Rodger Fishing Vessel Broden, we will take up your advice on the crewmate of yours who is fluent in Russian, please have them on standby"

"Rodger Coast Guard the crewmember will first be on the vessel that needs assistance"

"Copy that"

Fortunately it would turn out that Allison wasn't needed because the person in trouble was a British citizen who had recently immigrated to America as such there was no language barrier this time around, though as the Coast Guard was curious he decided to ask the person off the Russian named vessel about the name, seeing as how the injury while pretty bad wasn't as severe as initially thought, mild concussion and a broken leg

"So what's with the name?"

"The Captain bought it off a Russian Captain who no longer wanted to have the boat, learned the Russian name translated into jewel and since he likes to occasionally look at jewels like diamonds and sapphires he decided to keep the name of the vessel, not even bothering to translate it into English"

"Captain's prerogative"

"True enough, it's just a hard name to pronounce is the problem"

"I'll talk to the Captain again about that"

Meanwhile Allison and her crew were double checking the драгоценный камень to make sure that other issues weren't being hidden and they too talked to the Captain about changing the name to one that was actually pronounceable for the Coast Guard in case of future emergencies of any kind


	46. Chapter 46

"Nope I know I'm being stubborn about this but I have another reason to keep the name besides that I like looking at jewels occasionally"

"Okay, what's the secret reason?"

"The old Captain of the boat, he named the boat as it is because he felt it was the jewel of the sea at the time it was created, he made me promise not to change the name, even just using the translation would feel like a betrayal in my mind, and even though the promise was just until he died, which happened a few months ago I felt it was also a way to honor him"

"Very well, but maybe...maybe if you're going to become citizens you should give the translation of the ships name to the Coast Guard on a register or something of the sort so that they know who they're talking to or they themselves can use the translation when talking to you"

"It's a thought, and I  _will_  take your suggestion in consideration but don't be too surprised if I don't take you up on your offer"

"Your ship, your decisions"

"We'll be okay now, by the way thanks for offering Kerenai's use to the Coast Guard, even though I would have sent someone from my crew"

"I have my reasons on that but you're welcome"

"Captain speaking of vessels we need to get back to ours, the crew is starting to look like they want to get back to our traps, either that or something is up because the engineer is trying to get your attention, has been for the past two minutes or so from the way he's acting"

They quickly get back to the Broden and discover that they were having electrical problems, the power was cutting in and out so they took the wiser course of action and went into dock and discovered that the problem had been old wiring that finally decided to give out, almost causing a fire while at it

"We got lucky"

"No kidding, boat fire would have been  _bad_ , as in potentially losing the boat and the fishing season, I thought you got the electrical checked before setting out to sea Captain seeing as how this is an old boat and you know it"

"I did, something must have been missed"

"There's a bigger concern in regards to the electrical problems you two"

"Oh?"

"Yep, potential loss of life, I just did a double check on the survival suits and the life raft, the suits would have been fine, but somehow the life raft wound up in an area that would have been quickly consumed by a fire"

"That...that would have been bad"

"Correction Captain, that wouldn't have been a concern for reasons that the crew is not cleared for"

"You serious?"

"Completely"

"Why didn't you tell me before we set out?"

"Um...that's...not easily explainable, it's not necessarily classified seeing as how certain people know the reason, but it's also something that's a bit...personal"

"Got it, more explanations in private"

"Yep"

"Well for now we're in dock for at least a week, so in the meantime let's get some coffee"

"Right, we all need it"

They order coffee and fortunately Allison was the first one to take a sip and she quickly spat it out and spoke up before anyone else had any

"Take one sip and you'll regret it guys, anyone besides me bring an empty thermos?"

Everyone had since the place they were at, while famous for good food and coffee was also notorious as a bar that was a bit too...free with their drinks at times and seeing as how none of them liked alcohol very much they always made sure to have an empty thermos at that place to avoid actually getting drunk

"Good, pour the coffee in the thermoses and then we're taking them to the police to get tested, label them by the way just to ensure that they know who's thermos is who's"

Two hours later and they were still at the police station, because while they knew answers wouldn't be in for at least another four hours if not a full day or two in regards to the coffee there were other things that needed police attention

"Now then, are you guys sure that's everything you can recall about the incident?"

"Yeah, Kerenai knows the least due to the fact that she was the one dealing with the passengers until paramedics arrived"

"I'm just glad I had my kit with me, otherwise one person would have definitely died on scene, not that there's a chance they didn't die en route or at the hospital since we have yet to get any updates on the car accident victims"

"By the way, Kerenai and I need to talk in private about something"

"Right"

Once they were gone the Captain and Kerenai faced each other

"Okay Kerenai, time for complete disclosure on your earlier comment about not as much risk in regards to loss of life as the rest of the crew think there might have been"

"My family was doing training and then there's the fact that we recently discovered that I can temporarily form rescue devices at need, including life rafts"

Two days later and the group finally had answers in regards to the coffee, it turned out that they had been drugged, or at least attempted to be drugged by a combination of a sedative and non-lethal poison, Allison's quick thinking prevented them from getting any drug in their system, Allison had actually ingested some but because of her upbringing she wasn't even affected

"How on earth was Kerenai not even affected?"

"Classified, however I think it's safe to mention that if things had been different all of us would have been affected, some more severely than others had she not had the coffee first"

"Oh yeah, you and Kerenai would have been the worst since you're both sensitive to the non-lethal poison, Hawkins would have also been pretty bad off too but not to the extent of you two, as for the others, it would have been dependent on the level of their exposure for how severe the reaction would be"

"How sensitive is sensitive?"

"Half hour at most before you reacted, only the amount you ingested prevented your reaction in the first place Kerenai, Hawkins has actually been proven to be very mildly allergic to the poison"

"Oh?"

"Yep, remember when you discovered that you're allergic to guinea pigs?"

"Oh, that kind of reaction"

"Yep, he's also a sneezing mess when he ingests the poison, as such he'd be a miserable mess until medications kicked in and dealing with the side affects of the poison on top of that"

Suddenly they got word from the police that they could get back to their boat once it was completely fixed up

"I would think we'd at least be needed to testify in court regarding the car accident"

"We have enough witnesses for that Kerenai, you guys need to get back to fishing, for more reasons than you think"

"Lt.?"

"Sorry, but my Captain is the only one who has that information, but he said to tell you 'Oklahoma plains and Texas prairie fires' whatever that means"

"I know what it means, and he's right we'd best get back out to sea, tell your Captain I said thanks for the message and that he's to call the Texas Rangers and tell them the same message needs to be given to a paramedic that I am friends with he also needs to know the message"

"Got it"

As soon as the officer left Allison spoke to everyone

"As soon as we get out to sea the Captain and I are going to need a private conversation in the wheelhouse, as such standard procedures are not going to be followed, I will tell you that code involves military matters and your Captain here has kept his security clearances for reasons that even I'm not entirely sure of and as such he can know what's going on"

"Got it, I remember another call where it was military matters"

"When did that happen in such a short time?"

"Right before we left dock the first day"

"Oh that, that wasn't classified that was my commanding officer asking me to be careful and letting him know if I ever needed anything once I got back to shore"

"Oh, didn't know that, I just knew it was someone from the military"

"Yeah, it wasn't anything that was classified"

"But this time it is"

"Exactly"

Once in the wheelhouse the Captain had the expectant look

"Okay Kerenai, what's going on with that code?"

"Trouble, big trouble, you know the Cybertronians raised me since I was little, you're also well aware of my powers. What you  _don't_  know is that there's been a terrorist group that's been after the EDC for a few years now, the military has tried to stop them without much success, and part of the problem is that they go into hiding any time the military gets close, almost like they have a spy in the military, the other big problem is that the group is specifically after me because of who raised me, we are  _lucky_  they don't know about my abilities as far as we know of. Now then the code was to tell me that the terrorists are in America for whatever reason  _and_ have discovered safe houses in several places, the safest place the military and more specifically POTUS could think of was out at sea, if needed I can either board a Coast Guard vessel or a Navy vessel and until you get a safe distance away, including international waters, they will protect you"

"Got it, let's just hope it doesn't come down to that"

"Agreed"

"You ready to use your abilities at need?"

"Always"

"Okay than we're ready for any trouble that comes our way until our season is over with"

The next two months were tense but finally Allison received the call that she could stand down because the terrorists were finally caught, she also was considered healed enough to requal for both her other jobs passing the fishing test that was mandated for her by a previous President

"So, time for you to go back"

"Yes, it was nice to have a change of pace but I need to get back to my own job, I miss everyone there, and there's things about my jobs that you guys don't know about that require me to return, for a little while anyways"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I'm reaching the age of retirement in all honesty and am considering retiring either at the end of this year or the next, not entirely sure which yet, my jobs also know I'm reaching the point of wanting to retire so they're not going to be surprised too much when I do make the announcement"

"How will they still be surprised?"

"In the fact that I'm finally actually retiring after putting it off for about a year or so now"

"Yeah than I guess that would be a surprise for them, especially if you stated your intent before and then stated that you were putting it off for personal reasons"

"Yes I had indeed done that exact scenario, I was all set to retire and then, well...things happened that forced me to push back the retirement date, but things are finally falling into place where I can actually say that I will retire at a certain time and it will actually be true"

"What I want to know is why you needed to be on the ship for as long as you were"

"I can't tell you everything, but it was for everyone's safety that we made sure that I was truly healed from an incident and fishing is the test that was decided on to make sure I wasn't faking being healed when I wasn't"

" _That's_  why you asked us to be bluntly honest about how you were doing on the tasks"

"Exactly, I needed you guys not to hide any weaknesses so that I was truly being benefited by this season"

"Well, you're definitely back to full strength if that's what was the biggest concern, however there's something that I've noticed that I don't know if you're aware of or not, if it gets too cold or we've been going for over twenty-four hours one of your shoulders seems to give you problems"

"Oh I know full well what you're talking about, I had surgery on that shoulder several years ago, and while I passed the physicals needed to re-qualify for my jobs it will definitely act up on occasion still and both my jobs knows that, they also know to not harp on me for using specific pain medications more than I normally do"

"Okay, just wondering if you were aware of that or not because if you weren't..."

"I know, I would have to tell my jobs and get tested to see if I was truly fit, especially since my actions are unconscious aren't they?"

"They looked that ways to me"

"Most likely are, I sometimes notice my actions regarding the shoulder but most times I just do my actions without thinking about it"

"Well in any case I can state without a doubt that you're not hiding any injuries or faking you being back to full strength"


	47. Chapter 47

"Hope to hear from you guys on occasion even after I retire from my jobs"

"You will"

Allison's cell phone rang suddenly and when she saw the number she quickly excused herself and then made sure she was in a secure area before speaking in Cybertronian

*Kerenai here Rodimus go ahead...I see...okay...okay...Cybertron secure?...okay...right...I'll let Galvatron know...see you in Japan then...right...bye*

She ends the phone call and makes arrangements to get back to Texas, because she needed to tell her job that her family needed her before she reported back for duty, but she was cleared by the shrimping vessels captain which meant that except for a mandatory medical check officially she was basically ready to return to her jobs. However the flight was rerouted on the way to Texas due to a combination of medical and mechanical emergencies (the plane was caught in a sudden and nasty storm which caused one of the four engines to literally blow up, the explosion broke windows and some passengers were lacerated and only people with medical training was keeping some of those people alive, fortunately they were very close to the nearest airport certified for their type of plane) which meant that unless she caught another flight Allison knew she would be stuck where they landed for a few days, as such she simply made phone calls saying that she would wait a few days before going after another flight which was ultimately a good thing since all flights were canceled for three whole days because of the weather conditions

"Stupid weather"

"It's not the greatest but airspace has been shut down and rightfully so, it's just too dangerous otherwise, be glad there are people who know and understand this and thus have the authority to shut down dangerous airspace to keep the passengers and crew safe and alive"

"Still doesn't mean I can't blame the weather"

"Well at least it looks like things will start getting back to normal tomorrow though it will still take a little bit of time to get back to full force"

The next day and Allison finally managed to get a flight back to Texas, and from there she booked a flight to Japan in three days. In Japan she had to deal with EDC base issues, primarily a new activist group that didn't like the EDC or the alien allies it brought, as such Allison was needed to help explain things and protect her family if it was needed, this was because even though she wasn't an EDC officer, as the legally adopted daughter of the Cybertronians she had the legal authority to enforce trade agreements and broker peace agreements on their behalf, and while doing so had international permission to protect her family without Presidential orders needed  _because_  of her unique situation

"So, translator is coming again aren't they?"

"Indeed they are"

"Let's hope this ends soon enough because quite frankly I am getting  _tired_  of not being with my fellow Texas Rangers or part of my Army Reserve unit"

"You've been gone since the food poisoning and what happened afterwords haven't you?"

"Indeed I have"

"Then it's no wonder you're missing your jobs"

"Well, in all honesty I've been playing things softly on this new group, but now it might be time to play hardball, the group doesn't realize I'm trying to protect my family, they don't even know my connection to the EDC, but now I am going to lay down my cards, at least some of them, telling them that I had parents that were EDC officers and as such if they continue to give trouble to the EDC I will start working with the government to get them into jail or some other punishment"

"What have you been doing in the meantime then?"

"Simply trying to explain the benefits of having alien allies such as trading agreements and also peace agreements, AKA if we're attacked they'll attack the enemy as well, not including the Quintessons seeing as how that group has so many enemies I can't count them all in the first place"

"Basically besides the Quintessons whom they are most likely already enemies with if anyone attacks us our allies attack them"

"Exactly, and vice versa of course"

"That might have to be done but Ally, don't forget your safety and the safety of everyone else when you do play hardball"

"I know Rodimus, don't forget you guys raised me and taught me to be careful"

"I know it's just...I have a bad feeling about these guys, worse than normal activists that we've dealt with in the past"

"Understood Rodimus, by the way Galvatron and Optimus?"

"Cybertron and Canada respectively"

"Canada?"

"The Canadian government needed a consult on something and Optimus decided to go in person instead of sending a representative this time"

"Got it"

"See you tonight?"

"Or earlier if I have any success today"

"Right"

Finally late that night Allison came back to the base obviously exhausted but she was also smiling

"Did it...more tomorrow, night"

The next day and they found out exactly what Allison used to get the activists to calm down though not completely stop their activities, basically the group would be there if a new group suddenly showed up on Earth and keep an eye on them until they prove themselves but otherwise they wouldn't cause any problems

"So how did you get them to this point?"

"Simple I told them that if they kept being idiotic than there was a good chance that any allies we currently have would back down and pull away, I may have also shown them pictures of the last time an alliance broke down between us and an alien group and you guys couldn't take care of the problem yourselves because of being spread out between two worlds"

"You played hardball"

"Yep I played hardball"

"Well at least we won't have so much trouble with them in the future and that's what's the most important I guess"

"For now it's time for me to go home and get back to my two different jobs, I miss them and in all honesty my Ranger Captain needs my particular skills set from what I understand of our conversations"

"See you around, oh by the way the Dallas base says you'd better stay with them for a week at least or they're breaking into your apartment and dragging you to the base"

"They miss me since I've been gone so long and it's not because of Reserve duty"

"Exactly"

"Okay I'll crash at the base then for at least a week, but they are  _going_  to get a lecture about not telling me that they want to see me themselves"

"I won't stop you either, they should have known better than to use me as the messenger, I'm a little annoyed with them myself about that"

"Don't worry I'll deal with that little issue too, I have that authority being who I am"

"Our laws"

"Yep your laws"

"Tell whoever's in charge of the EDC in Texas overall that Galvatron's going to be back in a week and doing base inspections starting with Texas, it's been a few years since we started there and they're overdue"

"Okay that means that they're not going to be surprised if that's your goal"

"Not our goal this time, Texas hasn't been inspected in a year properly, not Faireborn's fault just is what it is, however that means that it needs a good inspection thus why we're starting with them this time"

"Well I did a spot inspection one time during the incident that caused me to get food poisoning in the first place and the Dallas base isn't too bad all things considered"

"What about the other bases?"

"No idea, but they should be about the same as the Dallas base, and the reason why the Dallas base wasn't in as good a condition as normal was because they got flooded out in two different areas because of water pipes bursting"

"What caused that?"

"It was under investigation last I knew"

"I'll call them and try and find out"

"No, I'm heading back anyways I'll find out and give you a report"

"Do it but I'm personally inquiring why they didn't tell us when it happened"

"You're prerogative, that should have been obvious in all honesty"

"Yes it should have, unless they just assumed you would report that problem to us"

"If they made that assumption than they made a very big mistake since that's not my responsibility"

"Indeed it's not, if you were an actual EDC officer it would be but since you're not yet than it's their responsibility not yours"


	48. Chapter 48

Finally Allison was back with the Texas Rangers and was very relieved to be with them again. A month into her being home (she had ultimately spent two weeks at the EDC base because just as she was getting ready to return to her apartment her landlord sent a message saying that it would be uninhabitable because of a combination of water damage and pest control) her and a small group of Texas Rangers from across the state were in the northern part of the country as chaperons with a field trip and they were visiting some civil war sites including Gettysburg

"The civil war was an ugly war, in a way though things could have been worse"

"How so?"  
"The Cybertronians, they could have been woken in that time and considering their situation at the time..."

"Yeah, guess that wouldn't have been a pleasant aspect"

As the guide continued explaining the reasons behind the war and the aftereffects Allison's mind wandered to her time in the past

_Past_

Allison and her group were in camp after a not so good day in a town and Allison gave out a heavy sigh

"I  _hate_  post civil war conditions, I forgot about how much I hate it, and the way people think of women in this day and age isn't helping matters, if not for the Lone Ranger..."

"I know, the Sheriff wouldn't have listened at all to you, for two reasons, first you're a women and second you're still a kid"

"Exactly, that's two out of three strikes against me already"

"Well in any case we're stuck here for a bit, and have to deal with the tension that's been left behind in the aftermath of said civil war"

"Exactly, most of the people aren't happy with a Sheriff who was in the Confederate army, some aren't happy with what they call nester's either which also complicates matters"

"So what's the plan then Kerenai?"

"Help in whatever way we can and be prepared for an explosion if possible"

"Figurative or literal?"

"Semi-literal, the town will have a riot if it comes to it most likely"

"Good point, let's just hope nothing actually happens"

"No kidding, but we'll be ready if something does"

"Powers or not Kerenai?"

"None, we can't risk discovery and you know it guys, we made that agreement from the start"

"More like you ordered such an agreement"

"Actually I didn't, I gave orders that we prevent being discovered as outsiders by getting equipment and clothing that matches this day and age except if we ever come across our enemies. I also gave orders regarding how things are to work unless I absolutely need to pull rank, I never gave orders about agreeing whether or not to hide my powers"

The group thought about it for a moment and realized that Allison was correct, they had actually had a discussion and everyone was agreed that it was safer for Kerenai if she didn't use her special abilities except at need and she made her own rule that it was to be against EDC enemies period the end of it

"Right, well in any case we'll be around town in the case of an emergency, but we'll be subtle about it, one or two people at the most at any given time"

"What about if something happens, how will we know when to gang up on everyone?"

"That's...actually a good question Parker seeing as how  _someone_  has banned modern technology except against EDC enemies"

"Hey you know as well as I do that it's for our own safety that I gave that order, it's too dangerous to be noticed as different, Tonto gets into enough trouble as it is and you know it"

"Yeah but Kerenai..."

"No but Kerenai's my word is final, those were direct orders and you know the rules"

(Sighs) "I hate it when you remind us about your status sometimes but you also have a point about safety issues so...we still need to figure out contact if things get out of hand"

They think about it and then while he was doing his standard supply check Carl just happened to drop one of the few signal mirrors that they had brought with them, but had yet to bring out or use for the simple fact that they were mainly together in one group or if they weren't it was quick trips into town

"Well I have the daytime solution, the signal mirrors, but nighttime is still a bit problematic"

"Hm...you're right nighttime is a bit problematic, if not for the problems it would most likely cause I'd suggest our signal flares"

The group thinks about it and they can't come up with a solution immediately but they hoped to have one before it was needed

"You know the rules in this situation, follow them to the letter, we're foreigners in this time period which makes it dangerous for us, even though we've learned a lot since we suddenly wound up here"

"Will do"

"And guys, we're doing rotations, I'm not because of the situation in town but the rest of you are going to rotate, every two days a new group goes in"

"Why not every day or every other day?"

"I have my reasons guys,don't question my orders"

"Got it"

The group kept an eye on things for a week by themselves when suddenly the Lone Ranger and Tonto returned

"Hey, last I knew you guys were hunting along with the Sheriff, though he didn't go nearly as far as you guys, we've been keeping an eye on the town because of all the tension that's been going on"

"What tension?"

Allison quickly gave the Lone Ranger what information they knew and had gleaned discreetly

"I wish I had known about that sooner, I would have left Tonto with you guys and gone hunting alone"

"That...would have helped actually, we  _still_  have no means of contacting people at night, daytime is covered but nighttime..."

"Right, I'll tell Tonto and we'll integrate with your plan, which is..."

"Daytime we use what's called signal mirrors, and then like I said nighttime we got nothing"

"What's so important about mirrors?"

"Everyone who's an EDC officer is required to know Morse code, I also need to know Morse code for the reasons that you were told when we finally talked in depth about things"

"Right, that works well in the daytime but like you said it won't work in the nighttime"

"Exactly, so how exactly can you guys help?"

"Tonto can act as a runner"

"Okay then that should work"

"But what I'm wondering is why there hasn't been any trouble with the information that you've given me"

"Yeah we're a bit surprised too that things haven't exploded yet, but we're keeping an eye on things and are actually expecting things to happen at any moment"

"You're not in town yourself because..."

"The Sheriff, it took you to get any cooperation with me in the first place because of the double strike I have in this time period"

"Double strike?"

"Female and a kid, in my time being a kid is still a mild disadvantage depending on several factors but being female is technically no longer a disadvantage, doesn't mean it can't be if people are stupid but because of laws women have equal rights and job opportunities in my time"

"But in this time you're back to square one"

"Exactly"

"Well for now I'll send Tonto into town so that when it gets to be nighttime he can warn of us trouble where your group can't, how many are in town anyways?"

"Two at any given time, we rotate every two days"

"Got it"

It turned out that things finally boiled over that night and over half the town tried to kill the Sheriff and a few farmers who they called nester's as well. Allison did what she could but didn't get far, fortunately the Lone Ranger, Tonto and the EDC officers did get to do what she couldn't

"Okay, now that we have  _that_  situation settled what now?"

"Now we stay and help rebuild"

(Groans) "I'm still stuck here then, even in my time we have age restrictions when someone can do more than hold nails on weekends, there are  _laws_  regarding child labor"

"And you're way too young for any real work"

"Exactly"

"We'll do what we can to allow you to help Kerenai, any specific orders for us regarding the rebuilding?"

"Don't show advanced skill knowledge, especially you Patrick"

"Understood"

"Well hopefully the damage won't be so bad as to force us to hide our skills"

"I'm prepared for the worst guys and you know it"

"We do indeed know that Kerenai"

"Well, I'll stay at camp, make sure that you're properly fed at least every morning and evening"

"The townsfolk will make sure of that Kerenai"

"Nope, we have different nutritional requirements in our time Lone Ranger, especially people like us who are very, very active"

"And are exposed to unique chemicals on a regular basis"

"Thus creating a unique diet, even with us having been separated from those specific chemicals since our coming here we still need our special dietary requirements we've found out, Kerenai's the worst of it though, excluding her onion allergy, but the nutrients in onions she can get from other foods so the allergy is negligible in regards to her health, unless she's accidentally exposed to it"

"And accidental exposure is almost impossible because we've seen her around uncooked onion before"

"Yeah, we just  _had_  to be at a farm at the time because of needing to find you guys and the onion wasn't cooked in the meal yet"

"It warned you against eating at least"

"True enough, but still it's an annoying symptom to have with uncooked onions, anyways now do you see why I need to feed them myself at least twice a day?"

"Indeed I do, they won't have the energy otherwise will they?"

"Nope, two days before we're weaker than those who come down with fever, without actually being ill"

"We'll keep an eye on you guys as well, we normally don't stay but considering the current situation..."

"Thanks, fruits and vegetables  _do_  help slightly, but they're only a temporary measure in all honesty"

"Full meals even if they either don't have the necessary nutrients or the right amount work better, but we're still not at full strength, we just don't show the effects as quickly as otherwise and it will perk us up ever so slightly, enough at least to get us back to camp"

"Not always and you know it, however it works more often than not...okay slight order modifications, if needed somehow get your supplements in your meals, even if it's blatantly obvious you're taking supplements  _take them_  you know full well I can't afford you guys weakened too long"

Suddenly Allison takes a closer look at one of the people and speaks up in a somewhat calm voice

"Carlos, are you coming down with a cold or similar illness?"

"Might, just started feeling run down over the past day or so, thought it mental exhaustion from trying to stay alert for so long to protect the town, but now..."

"You're staying in camp until we can determine for sure what's going on, if you're sick you're out and you know it"

"Yeah I know, if it's influenza..."

"That's my biggest concern, colds aren't pleasant in this time either in all honesty"

"In any case you're stuck here until we know what's up"

"I know, I know, better safe than sorry"

"Oh, one more thing that I would think is obvious but might not actually be is to not let your politics, especially regarding the civil war, show, you've been doing fine so far but with everything that's happened recently in the town..."

"Right, we'll keep our mouths shut"

"Good"

Eventually the town was rebuilt and the two groups left the town, as for Carlos it turned out that he had come really close to coming down with pneumonia, fortunately they caught the illness in the very early stages as such it was just a severe chest cold he dealt with, but all of them agreed that it was way too close a call and that they would keep a closer eye on their health, Tonto also taught them Native American remedies that would also help should they get sick

_Present_

Allison was brought back to the present when the reenactment of the battle of Gettysburg started, it had been explained that only part of the battle would be reenacted due to just how long the actual fighting had lasted. She liked the reenactment in that it showed the realities of war but hated that the civil war happened in the first place

"Wow, they make it so real"

"Yes, you're seeing the horrors of war first hand, battles that can last for days on end, deaths and permanent disability, PTSD risks and so much more that reenactments don't show you...I...I...I'll be back guys"

Allison suddenly runs off and sees a bathroom where she gets sick for a few moments because unfortunately she was in a PTSD episode and was flashing back to a really bad battle during one of her Reserve deployments where almost an entire base was wiped out, and that included most of her unit, this was one of the rare times that she and Tonto had been split up for the good of the military, Dan, Tonto and the Lone Ranger had helped her cope with things but she still had the occasional flashback

"I hate it when that happens, that wasn't a very pleasant flashback at all, time to get back after I finish composing myself"

The people in charge of Gettysburg had noticed Allison's distress and had checked up on her, she let them know that she was okay, just dealing with a mild PTSD episode

"You want cold water?"

"No, that...that actually makes things worse, instead...that will work"

Allison goes over to where there were flowers, but these were very special flowers, they had been cultivated by the EDC and sent to specific locations where there was a high possibility of military veterans being there at any given time. These flowers were created to help snap people, especially those that had military service backgrounds out of a PTSD episode as long as it wasn't too severe, they gave off a scent that was deliberately as different as they could think of that didn't involve the battlefield. Once she was near the flowers she took in ten very deep breaths so as to make sure that the scent of the flowers was stronger than the memories that were threatening to overwhelm her in the back of her mind

"You good now?"

"Yeah, the flowers did their job, I can go back to the last of the reenactment now"


	49. Chapter 49

"Okay, someone is going to have to remain with you at all times from now on though...it's a procedure that was put in place a few years ago after an...incident with a veteran, we thought that after the initial PTSD episode they were fine, they were triggered again only minutes later and things got...bad before everything was back under control. It was decided afterwords that an employee was to be near a veteran the entire visit after the first episode since we're taught warning signs that a person is getting close to being triggered or is starting into a flashback, we've learned that intervening at the beginnings of a flashback or PTSD episode it brings them out of it earlier and decreases both the risks of damage and any damage that is done "

"Fine, policy is policy"

"Thanks for not making any trouble with us"

"Hey, military soldier here, everything is run by rules and regulations in the military"

Finally the visit ended and fortunately for Allison she had no more flashbacks, and eventually the entire group was back in Texas and she was back at her Texas Ranger job

"So...why exactly were you guys chaperons anyways?"

"Some of them were parents, as for me...I had a different role that was subtle and not noticed"

"By the way, I got a report of a PTSD episode"

"Gettysburg, forgot that they're supposed to report those incidents to the bosses of whoever is a visitor"

"Exactly, the people in charge of Gettysburg informed me of your episode"

"I'm fine now Captain, there were the special flowers which brought me back fully to the present, we always know that I'm at risk, we just didn't think that a reenactment would trigger me since this is actually the first time I've been to one, now that we know we can take the proper precautions"

"Movies don't bother you for whatever reason though"

"That's...not entirely true Captain, I just already know that I can be triggered with movies so I always have things prepared just in case"

"Okay, well for now we have something for you"

"Oh?"

"Yep, someone broke into a fireworks factory, the reason is currently unknown, local PD is already on it but they asked for Texas Ranger help since we have authority that they don't"

"Right, I'll see where they are on the investigation first then and go from there"

"Keep me updated Kerenai, oh and there's also going to be some interdepartmental training soon, what about the military by the way?"

"Don't worry things are pretty much status quo with them, just make sure that you follow the rules"

Ultimately the investigation would take two and a half months with it turning out that the raid was a combination of drug dealers using an honest location to do their business without owner knowledge and illegal bomb makers, that had the ATF being involved but that was okay in everyone's mind since it cleared the owners of the fireworks factory and got big trouble makers caught

"Okay, we  _really_  need to be better informed of the international scene regarding criminals"

"Hey, it's not their fault, at least this time, I know the group that was captured and they're  _impossible_  to keep an eye on, we literally have to try and catch them in the act or try and detect any of their major plans which will keep them in one spot for a relatively long period of time"

"In that case, how long did it take this time?"

"Three and a half years"

"Agent..."

"Hey, we've been chasing them since they attacked  _five_  of our offices  _and_  three other vital infrastructures, they're just that good and you know it Kerenai, you just said that to your fellow Texas Rangers"

"That's not why I'm upset with you guys, oh no, I'm upset because of one reason and one reason only, one you should have figured out for yourselves"

"And just what is that reason Kerenai?"

"YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME ABOUT THE ATTACKS THREE AND A HALF YEARS AGO AS PER THE THREAT RULES! if you guys had followed proper procedures I would have known to be on the lookout for these guys so that the damage wasn't as bad as it ultimately was and I would have thought about that possibility when I first learned of the raid on the fireworks factory"

"How important was the information that learning about it when they initially popped up would have helped?"

"Because I have international contacts and thus could have known about them being active in the international bombing scene, which would have given us at least a little bit of warning ahead of time probably, and then there's the fact that knowing about the attacks when they initially happened would have given me a heads up about that group and started certain...procedures that are necessary around those types of terrorists"

Allison then stormed out of the office and everyone stayed away knowing that it was safest that ways for everyone that she be allowed time alone to cool off

"We messed up"

"Yes you guys did indeed mess up and you know it full well, even we know better than to keep things a secret from her except in very rare situations"

"We'll see what we can do once she calms down, we know for a fact that she's dangerous in that mindset, we've seen the Tonto video"

"There were...other incidents as well that you're  _not_  aware of because we decided to keep them quiet"

"How did you manage that?"

"We have our ways"

Meanwhile Allison had gone to the firing range and everyone could tell she was  _not_  happy, she shot her handgun for half an hour due to the fact that a few instructors were there and asked for her help in training some rookies once she had shot off two whole magazines. She also then whipped out her bow and arrow set and decided to get in some arrow shooting as an example of an alternative weapon choice at need, fortunately with SWAT having used the bow and arrow themselves for the past several years no police officer was completely unfamiliar with the weapons but most were not comfortable around them and fewer still could actually use them effectively enough to consider them a secondary weapon. While she was shooting arrows she thought back to when Tonto had taught her how to use the bow and arrow, seeing as how while she'd seen the weapons before and her family had talked to her about archery she herself had yet to be given an opportunity to be taught archery due to age restrictions at the time, but Tonto had convinced everyone that she was safer off knowing how to shoot a bow and arrow just in case

_Past_

After the two groups got the full story from each other Tonto and the Lone Ranger quickly realized that Allison was the least protected without a gun and they knew that she would put herself in danger if needed

"You need another means of protection, people won't understand you having a gun"

"What do you suggest?"

"Bow and arrow, you can make them quickly and easily"

That started the argument which would last for three whole days, Allison saying that it wasn't a good idea and that she wasn't even supposed to learn archery for another three to five years while Tonto argued that in her current situation that she should have an alternate means of protecting herself and the bow and arrow was the best option. Finally though Tonto wins over Allison's stubbornness, partially because of the fact that the other EDC officers over time saw Tonto's point of view on Kerenai's safety and also argued with Allison to learn archery just in case

"Just...could you do it for our sake Kerenai we...we need you as a leader just as much as you need us to help protect you due to your age"

"Okay, don't think I'll take to it immediately but okay"

She then takes to the bow and arrow easier than most would think she would, she naturally did have some trouble initially but with Tonto's patience she quickly became proficient enough to at least use a bow and arrow at need, her accuracy was still hit and miss about half the time, and she still struggled to pull the string far enough at times but overall she was safe around the weapon and could use it as distraction as a last resort in an emergency

"I want you to practice. You get better that ways"

"Don't worry I'll figure out a way to do just that Tonto, hopefully the next time we meet I'll be better with the weapon you grew up with"

And with that the two groups parted with Allison knowing she was in for long days and nights in order to get better with her newest weapon

_Present_

Allison eventually finished working with her bow and arrow and then went back to the office and have a civil conversation with the ATF agents

"Okay, what's done is done, I wish you had followed proper procedures but since you didn't what I want to know now is if there's anything else we need to know via reports or anything"

"Not that we're aware of, our reports should be standard reports for you guys, and again we're sorry for not following proper procedure like we should have"

"Fine, just remember from now on okay?"

"We will"

"Oh, because of the incident we just dealt with we'll be dealing closer with the Texas Rangers for a few months before going back to status quo, too dangerous not to all things considered"

"Got it, let my Captain know, as for me, I've got Reserve training to get to again"

"Right"

Allison left for a solid week because unfortunately there was an incident during training which forced it to last longer than two days, however her job had been alerted per procedures set in place a while back so they weren't worried about her being gone longer than normal, but finally she was back

"So...I wasn't given full details but if possible can you tell me what went wrong?"

(Sighs) "Massive equipment failure during training, several were injured and while I'm not at Tonto's skill level I  _am_  qualified in first aid, as such I was required to help with the injured and training was delayed while we checked on said equipment to see what went wrong"

"How bad were things ultimately?"

"Two are going to have to be medically retired, as for the equipment, that shut us down for four whole days with another day doing testing, and some equipment still needs to actually be replaced...actually that's something I was to ask you and SWAT about"

"Temporary use of police vehicles which are potentially armor plated?"

"Yep"

"No can do in regards to the Texas Rangers, as for SWAT, you're going to have to ask them yourself they aren't too happy with me right now for something you're well aware of"

"Yeah I know, but it's not entirely your fault Captain some of it was bad luck against those specific opponents"

"Doesn't mean SWAT is happy with us"

"True, and because it's actually a military request it's better coming from me anyways, but maybe I can help with the tension that's happening right now"

"Do your best, I haven't gotten any where's with them lately"

"Will do, hopefully things have calmed down even slightly which should help with matters"

When Allison asked for the use of the equipment she was denied her request, however she fortunately managed to heal the rift between SWAT and the Texas Rangers in Dallas

"So the military is unable to use your equipment ever?"

"At least for right now, we ourselves have equipment problems at the moment so it's better not to use our vehicles"

"Understood, at least I can tell my Captain that I asked anyways"

"And tell him it's not that we don't want to give you guys equipment but that we can't"

"Will do...how bad is the equipment situation anyways?"

"We're looking for new vehicles bad"

"Got it, no equipment from you guys for safety reasons"

"Did your Captain ask the others to also ask?"

"I'm afraid not, but that's only because I'm the only one in law enforcement, at least for my specific unit"

"Got it, the military has other contacts though so hopefully that issue will be resolved soon, they probably simply wanted you to ask because police vehicles are now frequently based off of military vehicles, as such it would be more of a loan with money to replace any losses than anything"

"Well in any case I'll give my Captain the report and we'll leave it at that, and I'll tell my Texas Ranger Captain that things are...better due to our talks"

A month later and Allison finally declared her intention to retire five months from that date, the group had talked with her family and it was decided that things were finally in a good settled place that they could start the process of becoming EDC officers, first through retirement and then later faked deaths which would allow the EDC to give them new identities

"Why now, and are you sure that you're actually going and ready to retire?"

"I'm sure, things...things were complicated which has delayed my retirement longer than I thought but you're finally truly settled into the job and the policy that we fought so long to be made mandatory, and a few other things that needed to be in place before I could retire but finally it's time for the old guard to leave and let the younger generation to take over"

The Captain actually  _looked_  at Allison and noticed that she was actually starting to look tired and old, part of that aging effect was faked but Allison really did need to stop soon because she was mentally and emotionally tired from her job as a police, that was why when they had recently talked with Allison's family their EDC training was going to take a year at least because it was not going to be all training, it was to give everyone a mental and emotional break from everything they saw in their jobs

"You're tired aren't you, not just physically because physical exhaustion is almost always temporary, but mentally and emotionally too"

"Yes, this isn't an easy job, John and Tonto are also just about burned out, Dan is better but only slightly as a lawyer"

"You've been doing this a long time haven't you?"

"Yes, a very long time, the fight to free Texas several years ago..."

"That made it worse didn't it?"

"Yes, fleeing our home, hiding who we were...and then there's the fact that I'm also in the army reserves, it's not an easy life at all"

"Speaking of, have you given the Reserves a date?"

"Not quite, I haven't had time to fully discuss things with Tonto regarding our Reserve service, we did talk during the training but not in enough detail to have a solid plan on retirement from the military and when to tell the proper people to get the paperwork started"

"So basically you two are agreed that it's time to retire, but you haven't yet agreed on when"

"Exactly"

"Fine, since you've told me, even if you have yet to produce paperwork regarding your retirement I will move you to more administrative duties, and also some training duties so that you can help bring in the next generation as you call them"

"That's probably for the best, however don't completely take me out of the field I still want to be at least a bit active"

"Understood Kerenai"

"And Captain...you might want to start thinking about your replacement, and soon"

"What for?"

"Don't think I haven't noticed you possibly getting arthritis and it acting up"

"I'm getting checked out Saturday at a walk-in clinic, didn't make an appointment but I made that decision yesterday when I could barely get out of bed"

"Good, if you  _do_  have arthritis you're going to have to retire in about two or three years instead of five like originally planned"

"I know, having arthritis makes this job impossible"

"At least you have the opportunity to choose your successor yourself"

"There is that...Kerenai, is that another reason why you're retiring so soon?"

"No, I am in desperate need of rest"

"Okay, I know things haven't been...pleasant in regards to you and command shifts"


	50. Chapter 50

"It's life sir, but if you know my record you also know just how long I've been a police officer and part of the Reserves, it's past time I retired, should have retired a few years ago really but...things happened and the state needed me for a bit longer"

"Well so long as what you've noticed hasn't influenced your decisions that's all I care about"

"Sir, there's something I think you forgot about the next five months that I just thought about, the conference that's supposed to last for two weeks in about three months, the one that's been planned since shortly before I left for my most recent Reserve training"

"You're right, maybe...maybe you can be the one in charge or something similar of that function as one of your final duties in a formal function"

Allison was ultimately made head assistant, because it turned out that the person originally in charge of the conference was competent but  _needed_  help, at already five months pregnant the conference was cutting really close to the due date and as such the person in charge wanted help but also wanted to remain in charge for as long as possible, which Allison understood, (unlike the original head assistant who had been fired when the person in charge was only two months pregnant and the assistant demanded to take over) however she still took over one very vital task within a week of being made head assistant. She was meeting with the person in charge to see where the conference was and saw a mess of papers

"Okay, how disorganized are you right now because you can't trust most of the assistants?"

"It's not so much me being disorganized, it's the fact that I just found out that several dignitaries are going to be at this conference and..."

"Okay, how about you give me a list of the dignitaries that you are expecting and  _I'll_  coordinate with security details and make sure dietary concerns are handled"

"Thanks, that should work actually, hope you know Russian, they're currently the biggest headache for me because for some reason they  _refuse_  to have a translator right now"

"I'll look into that because I'm fluent in Russian, oh let me know when you have doctors appointments, that ways if someone calls for you I know to let them know that they simply have to deal with me for the entirety of the appointment"

"Right, should have thought about that actually, wait...didn't I hear something about you being in the military?"

"Made a few calls before meeting, I'm not having the normal training I normally would until after the conference, besides there's...something that's going to be happening in the next few months regarding my military service that I can't explain yet"

"I can probably guess what that change is"

"Yes you probably could at that, but I will make no formal announcement until certain conversations are had and certain protocols and other details are dealt with"

"Understood, what I suspicion is just that, suspicion, until it is confirmed by you to be something more"

"Okay, we also need to talk about balancing your police work and your work for this conference"

"Well, I can actually call the dignitaries at work in between my cases, that phone is more secure anyways than the phone here, my cell phone is actually the secureists but I won't use that this time for reasons of my own, have anything else sent to my cell phone and I'll return calls after work"

"Okay, I'll let the others know that rule of yours"

"Thanks...oh and by the way you're going to hate me big time but I'm taking away your chocolate no matter how much you're craving it"

"Oh no you don't"

"Fine, I'll have the doctor pull the chocolate, unfortunately it's going to happen either way because I do believe you're having a reaction to something in the chocolate all of a sudden, either that or it's some other food you've recently had that is causing you to itch and develop hives"

"You win I'm having a reaction"

And with that the twitching that had been happening for several minutes ended only because of the fact that the person finally gave into the urge to scratch

(Sighs) "come on, I have something that should help with your itching"

"Walk-in clinic for me afterwords?"

"Oh yeah, this can't wait for your primary doctor, now then are you allergic to calamine?"

"Yes I am unfortunately"

"Okay, that's not a problem I have other anti-itch creams that should work on you"

Once that was taken care of Allison drove her temporary boss to the clinic and while she waited she brought out one of the journals feeling the need to hear Arizona's voice because of everything that had triggered her lately in regards to her journey to the past

_Day 905_

We're celebrating our independence today and the town I'm at has gone wild. I think part of it is because we're still healing from the rift the civil war caused and the aftermath of the war, I personally am not just celebrating our independence from Great Britain but am also using it as a means of remembering President Lincoln who was assassinated too soon after the war ended, thus denying him the chance to truly see the healing process begin I don't know how it's done in K's time but for now this kind of celebration works for me. We might have a slight problem though, it isn't very clear to me what's going on but a government agent wanted to speak with me briefly and so I met him, when I did meet him in his hotel room all he did was bring out an arrow, a black arrow and asked me if I knew what the arrow signified, I told him I didn't, but when I said that he said that explanations would have to wait due to the significance of the date today, hopefully tomorrow I will get some answers

_Day 907_

Had to wait a full day due to the fact that we both had to help a posse with a small time criminal but I finally got answers today about the black arrow that he showed me. You guys never told me about the Black Arrow group that wanted to basically form their own government and threaten to tear the country apart so soon after we had come back together, there's a possibility of them coming back, not with the original leaders of course but with new leaders from the original group, those that were simply arrested, but we don't know for sure yet if it is happening, all we know is that there have been threatening letters sent with a black arrow each time

Allison read for a whole hour which got her to the end of Arizona's black arrow adventure, which ultimately didn't last for very long only until day 987, but it had definitely been long enough to Arizona once her temporary boss was finished she went home and started the next several months of going back and forth between her police job and her conference work. The initial talking with the dignitaries had been complicated to say the least, Russia being the worst of the complications, only her fluency in Russian and it's culture saved her from a major faux pas at least twice that she was aware of, but eventually she had things under control

"So...things settled?"

"As much as possible anyways"

"Good, we still have another two and a half months before the conference"

"Right, but the way how are you feeling?"

"Might have to turn everything over to you soon, I'm getting tired way too easily for me to keep up this job"

"Doctor's appointment soon?"

"Very soon I hope, I made a call and said I needed to see them ASAP, but I have yet to hear back from them about said phone call"

"Right, for now there's a perfectly good couch that you can sleep on for a few minutes"

"Thanks, think I will"

An hour later and Allison was calling for an ambulance because the person who had been in charge of the conference had just suffered two seizures back-to-back. When the paramedics arrived she had just started to truly wake up

"Oh no...don't, don't move boss, let the nice paramedics do all the work for you"

"What happened?"

"You just had two seizures back-to-back, with the fact that they were back-to-back, you're pregnant  _and_  this is your first known episode you need looked at ASAP and you know it"

"Baby?"

"Fine as far as I know, but that will also be looked at I promise"

"Husband?"

"Um...that I have no clue about, I told someone to call him but I have no clue if they managed to get in touch considering what you told me his job was"

"Understood, talk to you later, fortunately everyone knows the routine by now"

"Exactly so get yourself and your baby taken care of and things will be good to go when you get back"

When Allison got back to the station she saw a group of local PD and Texas Rangers around a computer desk talking to themselves, and when she got closer she heard comments that warranted her immediate attention

"Okay, try this code, maybe then we'll have access"

"Okay what are you guys doing?"

Everyone turns as one and they all had a guilty look on their face and when she sees the computer screen she sees why

"Why are you guys trying to hack into a case file regarding my early days as a Texas Ranger?, that file was classified for a reason"

"This is why"

All of a sudden the screen is littered with pictures of victims and the objects surrounding said victims

"Okay, that would do it, give me the computer and you'll have access to the original case in a flash, though I hope this isn't what I think it is"

"What do you think it is?"

"I'm hoping that it's not either a really, really demented copy cat killer  _or_  a person out for revenge"

She brings up the original case which starts the manhunt all over again, fortunately they were able to figure things out without any outside help, but it was a close call in everyone's mind, it turned out that the original perpetrator had trained his oldest child to take over and when the child found out that their father had died recently in prison that was the trigger to start killing themselves, they also solved it within three days of things starting

"So...why was the case originally sealed anyways"

"It's not for a normal reason, there were...complications during the case, complications that were ultimately covered up for the good of everyone involved, police and victim's families alike. The FBI decided that the case would be sealed until at least thirty years after the final person actively involved in the case was either dead or retired for everyone's benefit, the only time the seal can be broken is either in the situation we had been in or the one other situation is if it is used by the FBI to train profilers in the ways of a potential serial killer. I have learned however that the FBI has yet to use this as a case study because of personal reasons regarding their training"

"Can you give us at least a little information on the complications that would force the federal government to demand it sealed for so long?"


	51. Chapter 51

"Um...not...not really, those complications were...uh" (clears throat) "they were such that there was no one determined central cause and the fallout was such that the federal government who had been asked to help for reasons that I can't get into pulled rank and authority and got court orders to seal the case except for the situations I have already stated, and very, very few people have the access code to the case, being that I was one of the officers involved I naturally have access and like I said so does the FBI if they're going to train any profilers"

"Kerenai, just answer me one thing about the case that I absolutely  _need_  to know, was professional help available to everyone once it was over?"

"Yes, and I did see a therapist regularly for about six months after the case was finished, you would too if you knew the case and the whole way PTSD tends to work"

"And you're bad enough regarding that condition that anything that can make it worse is a bad thing"

"Fortunately I have never been triggered by this case but it was a huge risk that's for sure"

"Got it, so the case is now classified again?"

"Yes, you guys don't have the necessary clearance for said case and be glad for that because that case can give one nightmares"

"You?"

"No, but there were other officers who have had a decent night's sleep disturbed because of that case one officer even went so far as..." (shakes her head) "well it wasn't good in any case and I'll leave things at that"

"Fine, by the way you're back earlier than normal"

"My boss went into the hospital because of seizures, I made the decision to end things early that day"

"Do you know anything else?"

"No, I haven't been called yet, but hopefully I will hear something soon, though I do wonder why I haven't heard anything after three days, but in either case things are going smoothly I get status updates at least once a day"

"Agreed, in the meantime I have something for you that should be right up your ally"

"What is it?"

"Computer forensics, we just got a few computers in relation to a different case but...they're locked solid, you have passwords and other tricks that the normal IT department doesn't as such hopefully you can break through the security and get us what we need and anything else in there that might be useful"

"Right, let the person in charge of the investigation know to give me a few days, I may be good but I'm not as good as the Cybertronians, and then there's the fact that quite frankly I am going to be busy with the conference as well"

"Understood, you and I will work out a schedule then"

"Right, oh and you're going to have to send a runner, I get the feeling no cell phones should be around those computers, don't ask me why but I do"

"Do those that are involved in the conference know that?"

"Considering you just gave me this assignment no, but I will inform them later today, right now I need time to get things together so as to do your assignment for me"

"Got it"

"And Captain, should the phone call regarding my other boss come in let me know I've been way too worried about her to fully concentrate on my job, though you haven't noticed it"

"Understood, I'll let the person in charge of the investigation know you're on the way to help"

"Right, also let them know about my cell phone rules"

"Will do, do you have everything you need at work or at home?"

"Home, too dangerous to keep the items I need at work,  _way_  too dangerous"

"Experience?"

"Yes, a very unpleasant experience at that"

"Got it, this will be your sole assignment besides the conference until you have what's needed"

"Understood"

Five days later and Allison not only had everything the lead officer needed from the computer but she had found out that her other boss had been unconscious during those three days after the seizure because once in the hospital it was originally supposed to be for observation and some tests but she had a bad reaction to a medication and thus the medics decided to keep her sedated for a few days

"Thanks for telling me now at least, we're back to normal routines starting tomorrow by the way...hey it's not my fault the case took so long, the situation was  _not_  normal and it took every known skill I had and then some...right will do...okay...bye"

And so the next day things went back to normal, but finally the day of the conference came, which also signified just how much closer it was to Allison's retirement

"So, conference"

"Yep conference"

"What's this conference about anyways?"

"Just police procedures and better communication between countries, it's a bit complicated admittedly but this conference is important, for more reasons than you would think"

"Weren't you the contact point for the foreign dignitaries?"

"Yes, and it's a good thing I'm fluent in Russian or there would have been trouble"

"How much trouble?"

"You don't want to know, trust me you really don't want to know how much trouble we would have been in had I not been completely fluent in Russian"

"Understood, so are you hear because of your work on the conference or for some other reason"

"Primarily because of my work on the conference, but there is one other reason that I can't explain that I'm here right now"

"Can you enjoy yourself at any formal function?"

"Yes, and this is one of those times, it's just...not as usual because of my training, I don't allow myself to relax and enjoy things" (thinks) " _only a few more months and I'll officially be retired from the police, and three months after that Tonto and I will retire from the military, once that happens all that's left is for John and Dan to leave their jobs and then all of us have our deaths faked within a few months after the final retirement and then we'll officially join the EDC, though our training will be longer than most so as to protect everyone from the fact that the four of us no longer age, to not bring up any suspicions about us being who we truly are in our new identities_ "

Allison then actually enjoys the work of the team including her and actually enjoys the conference and also does what she needed to do which was mingle with officers to get updated on certain EDC locations and police procedures in those countries, not to mention the fact that she had made a few friends during her international journey several years ago and it was nice to catch up on the few that were still alive

"I'm surprised you haven't retired yet"

"Will in a couple of months though, was supposed to a couple of years ago but things forced my hand in regards to me staying for as long as I have"

"You sound different when talking about your job"

"I'm tired, so very tired in regards to this job, it's been getting harder and harder to handle what happens in police work because I've been doing this for so long, because I'm not just a police officer but also in the Army Reserve which makes things worse"

"You need to rest from all the death and destruction"

"Exactly"

"Still I'm surprised that you didn't retire after that invasion that started in Texas"

"I had to help rebuild the state, and then there were other factors which again forced my hand into staying longer than originally intended, but soon, soon I will retire from both jobs and enjoy it"

"So, how long is the conference anyways?"

"Another three days, as such I am not doing normal work load so that I can fully participate in said conference"

"So...how bad are things going to get?"

"Well I will always be ready for action, but I will also allow myself to relax at least slightly"

"You deserve it"

"Yes, but still I wish...well it doesn't matter really"

Suddenly someone came up and gave Allison a message in Morse code for the simple reason that while the message wasn't necessarily classified to the highest level there was still some security needed and cell phones were not trusted on this matter, the unusual thing is that the person stayed while she read the message

_Message_

\- .. ... ... .. - -. / -... .-.. .- -.-. -.- / .- -.. -.. . .-. / ..-. .- .. .-.. .-.-.- / -. . . -.. / -.-. - -. ..-. . .-. . -. -.-. . / .. - - . -.. .. .- - . .-.. -.- .-.-.- / .-. - ... ... .. -... .-.. . / -.. . .-. .-.. - -.- - . -. - / .. - - . -.. .. .- - . .-.. -.- -..- / - . .-.. .-.. / - - -. - - .-.-.- / .-. - - ..- ... / .-. . -.-. - -. -. .. - .. - -. / -.-. - -.. . ... / .. -. / -.. - ..- -... - / -.- . .-. . -. .- .. -..- / ..- ... . / -... . ... - / .- ..- -.. -. - . -. - .-.-.- / .- .-.. ... - / .. -. ..-. - .-. - / -.-. -.- -... . .-. - .-. - -. .. .- -. / ..-. .- - .. .-.. -.- / .- -... - ..- - / .-. - ... ... .. -... .-.. . / ... .. -. -. .- .-.. / -.-. - - .. -. -. / ..-. .-. - - / .- .-.. . ..- - .. .- -. / .. ... .-.. .- -. -.. / -.- - -.. .. .- -.- -..- / -. - / .. -.. . .- / .- ... .- - / - - / - .- -.- . / - ..-. / .. - .-.-.- / ... .. -. -. . -.. / ... . -.-. -.. . ..-.

*Mission Black Adder fail. Need conference immediately. Possible deployment immediately, tell Tonto. POTUS recognition codes in doubt Kerenai, use best judgment. Also inform Cybertronian family about possible signal coming from Aleutian Island Kodiak, no idea what to make of it. signed SECDEF*

_End message_

She turns to the person waiting and speaks in a low voice where only that person would hear her

"Thanks for passing on the message, return message is 'message received, will report within twenty-four hours, have to deal with something in Texas first' is that understood?"

All she gets is a nod of acknowledgment and the person leaving but that was all that was needed in all honesty. Once that was done she quietly informed the correct people that she might be called up for immediate Reserve duty and then sought out Tonto and told him about the message, she also used that opportunity to pass out her cases to officers and Texas Rangers that were also working on the same cases and as such were already completely read in on the case


	52. Chapter 52

"Oh and Captain, I already told you about potential immediate deployment, but I almost forgot about informing you about the whole group training that might also happen, it's the standard emergency planning training with the EDC and military both participating, however that final decision hasn't been made yet so I don't know if it will happen or not, you'll get a call either way I made sure of that"

"Thanks for the warning Kerenai"

"No problem, just wish I had remembered it sooner so that you had more warning than what you do have"

"It's no problem EDC training is random enough that I've come to expect the unexpected, oh SWAT member?"

"He'll start on Monday depending on what orders he receives, there's some sort of raid that he's needed for on Saturday"

"Understood"

"Are you sure that there's nothing else you can tell me?"

"I'm afraid not, you don't have the necessary security clearance to know anything more than the fact that I received an urgent message that stated that I might be immediately deployed with my unit, there was also something specifically meant for my family in the message that may or may not affect you depending on the results, but you don't necessarily need to know that part of the message unless it affects you guys and you know it"

"True enough, true enough"

"Well I'm off, normal procedure will be followed in regards to any deployment, though it might be a little late this time depending on if it's immediate deployment or not"

"Right, you contact us on a regular basis if your deployed Kerenai, the last time you left for training we didn't hear back from you until you were back, and that was longer than normal because of that issue right before you had your training suspended, and then there was that incident a couple of years ago during deployment when you suddenly stopped contact for a solid month, a  _month_  of not knowing anything due to the government being tight lipped"

"Understood"

Allison leaves her work building to see Tonto waiting for her

"You ready Tonto?"

"Yes I'm ready, know where we're supposed to actually go?"

"I have an idea, but it needs confirmed, however with what the message said..."

"I know, what are we supposed to do about that part of the message?"

"I have other means when that method is in doubt, once the meeting location is confirmed we'll head there, however first we're taking a train out of state under the same false identities that we used when Texas was invaded"

"Right, we'd best get our disguises on then"

"Exactly, however we can't use a safe house since it's not needed, but I have other secret locations that we can use to change our identities, this was done after the invasion by the way"

"Why haven't you told me before?"

"Wasn't needed if you honestly think about it"

"True enough, what about after everything happens in regards to our deaths being faked?"

"I haven't fully thought this through but with the help of my family hopefully we'll figure this whole situation out, just like we've been trying to do since we discovered that we no longer age"

"Fine, in the meantime I need an address so that we can change our identities to take the train, after that I have no clue what we're supposed to do"

"Don't worry, I have plans already in place, I know I'm being secretive but that's a safety measure"

"Fine, so change of identity and then a train ride out of state"

"Exactly"

An hour later and the two were heading to Louisiana

"Why are we taking the same path as last time when we escaped the evasion?"

"Easy Tonto, it's not quite the same path, you'll find out that there are differences once we get off the train I promise"

"I hope you know what you're doing"

"I do Tonto, I do, this is something that has been in place before you were woken up, before I even got trapped in the past for five years"

"Fine, can you at least tell me where we're headed once we get off the train?"

"Nope, that's part of the security that's in place due to the message received, you'll learn more once we're headed to our next destination"

Three and a half hours later and they were at their final destination in Louisiana, once they were off the train they took a taxi to what looked like a car garage, and once Allison got keys to a car she led Tonto to where the car always was unless she or another EDC officer used it and they got in

"Okay, now what?"

"Now we head to Little Rock, Arkansas and take a plane to Cincinnati, Ohio, and from there we once again drive from there to Washington, D.C once we arrive in the capitol I'll tell you more"

"What about the whole other issue that has yet to be dealt with?"

"Remember that delay at the train station we got off at?"

"Oh, that's when you dealt with that issue?"

"At least partially, it hasn't fully been dealt with but it's gotten a good start"

"Okay then"

Three days later and they were finally in their nation's capitol

"Okay now what?"

"Now we go to a certain building and wait until we're met personally by certain people with certain codes and go from there"

"Fine, let's just hope the whole mystery regarding...that issue is resolved, and hopefully we'll also find out about what's to be done about the failed mission"

"Exactly, I just wish that we didn't have to take such a roundabout route, but considering what happened when we left the Texas Ranger building we had no choice"

"What about your boss?"

"Things are fine don't worry, when he heard the gunshots he would have known that getting to Washington would take longer than normal, he would have also told your boss about that"

"Okay just making sure"

The next day two FBI agents came in and gave the correct question answer sequence and thus the two were taken to the Hoover building where they were met by the SECDEF, who then finally told them that the Presidential recognition codes were no longer in doubt, what had happened was that there had been a security breach which involved said security codes and as such things were changed including said codes which Tonto and Allison both memorized as quickly as possible

"Glad that's taken care of, now then about Black Adder?"

" _That_  is to be discussed in the White House because while some agents have the right security clearance there are things that no agents here are cleared for"

"Understood"

They quickly get to the White House and five hours later while not everything was resolved they found out why the mission Black Adder had failed and a couple of options in regards to military action were formally on the table

"Now then, until we know for sure if your unit is deploying or not you need to stay in Washington, and we'll need to talk again soon because in all honesty you two are giving the best suggestions out of a bad situation"

"Understood sir, we'll see you tomorrow then, with our real identities"

"Good, I know false identities was a security measure but it's an annoying measure on our end"

"But unfortunately needed, see you guys tomorrow"

"Right see you...DOWN!"

Allison suddenly dove over the desk pushing the President down just in time to avoid him getting hit by bullets, she and the Secret Service shot back but missed, however Allison used her contacts to get a look at the license plate of the car the person who had shot at them was driving

"Send out an APB on a blue car license plate AZX 5891, make and model unknown, I barely managed to catch the car color and license plate in time as it is, and warn them that he's armed and dangerous, last time that warning was missed five officers were lost!"

"Right, any injuries?"

Everyone started to report back as negative, Allison stood up and helped the President up and started to speak but would not continue for one very good reason

"POTUS is unharmed, as for me I'm..." (hisses in pain) "I might have been hit by some glass feels like there are...are..."

Allison passes out and is caught by the President who calls for medics. When the medics check her out they discover that not only did she have multiple cuts from glass hitting her, but she had also been hit by at least three bullets, once in the left leg, once in the right side and also a scalp wound that she was lucky didn't kill her, and they only discovered the scalp would was caused by a bullet instead of glass through sheer dumb luck, however she was also fortunate in that she primarily had flesh wounds, the most serious of the injuries was her leg and she didn't even need surgery to handle the bullet wound, some of the glass cuts did need stitches, but primarily for the length of the cuts and not the depth

"You got lucky Kerenai"

"No kidding, I didn't even notice I had been struck by bullets in all honesty, and the cuts only hit me after the adrenaline started to wear off"

"You're lucky the temple graze didn't give you a concussion or knock you out cold"

"Well for now all I need to know is if I'm cleared to leave"

"Yes you're cleared to go, however..."

"I know, call if I start to take a turn, keep an eye out for a concussion or infection, and if I do get an infection get back here immediately to get it taken care of, either that or see my primary or a walk-in clinic depending on the day of the week"

"Okay just making sure"

A month and a half later and everyone was frustrated, because while military action had been made Kerenai's unit had yet to deploy however with the way things were going it was beginning to look like her retirement from the police force and the combined retirement of Tonto and Allison from the Reserves was going to have to be delayed

"I am  _really_  beginning to hate those guys, Tonto and I  _need_  to retire from the military soon, as for me I don't know how much longer I can be a police officer"

"Unfortunately there may not be much choice in delaying things, even if you don't want to"

"It's been delayed long enough as it is"

"I know that, and you know that, unfortunately the group is being difficult"

(Sighs) "I'm sorry sir, just frustrated that our long overdue retirement is being delayed because of this group we can't seem to handle"

"I know...let's try one more thing before I reactivate your unit you two, if that doesn't work I have no choice but to put you two on active duty due to the fact that your unit is the only other unit not in Special Forces that is trained on this situation"

"Let me guess, you're going Special Forces on that group"

"Partially, in that they're going to be supporting another unit, but my primary idea is baiting a trap which I hope will lead us to their primary headquarters"

"Do we even want to know?"

"Nope, because I know what you two will do if it fails, even if it's ultimately my responsibility"

"You're right, EDC help wanted?"

"Not unless we get specific indicators, people are already nervous about how active your family is in the area right now due to...those complications with an energy source"

"Yeah...we have no clue what happened in that area, things were fine one moment and then the next we were being called in for an emergency conference regarding the energy source"

"Well for now we should try my idea and then if that doesn't work your unit is going to have to be deployed, there's no other choice after this idea"

"I know sir, and hopefully it doesn't come down to it because that means indefinitely delaying my retirement"

"What about retiring from the police on schedule and then retiring from the military after your latest deployment?"

"Not really a good plan for multiple reasons that I can't get into"

"Very well, we'll try this method first then"

Fortunately the bait plan worked and the majority of the group was either captured or killed, those that weren't would be easier to get and everyone knew that"

"Well looks like you can go back now"

"Yes and with just a month left before police retirement, this is going to be interesting that's for sure"

And so Tonto and Allison got back to Texas on the next flight and reported to their respective bosses

"So, any future interruptions before your final day on the job?"

"Not that I'm aware of"

"Good, let's just hope your last month as a Texas Ranger is peaceful"

"Agreed, let's hope so"

"For now you start back tomorrow, standard procedure is being put on hold for some reason that I wasn't informed of"

"I have a suspicion and if my suspicion is correct than you'll be happy that it was suspended"

"Oh?"

"Yep, it's something that you and I have been wanting for a long time now, a long time now indeed"

"Is that the only hint you're giving me?"

"Yep"

"Fine"

"Don't worry, once you see what it is you'll understand my vague comments"

"Let's hope so"


	53. Chapter 53

"For now I will take the day to get a few things done and recover from the jet lag that I have"

"Forgot about the jet lag, how are you not half asleep right now?"

"Partially because it's not as serious with just one hours difference, the other reason is a bit of a family secret I'm afraid"

"Understood"

"In any case, there's little to no risk of me being pulled for Reserve duty before my retirement from the force, the only exception would be a natural disaster in Texas and the President wanting me to work alongside the National Guard due to particular skills sets that the unit might not have for whatever reason, it's happened in the past after all"

"So no more SWAT member who's also a Reserve Texas Ranger being needed?"

"Not entirely, that program will still continue just in case other Texas Rangers follow in my footsteps, or if some other minor temporary problem comes up, but for me personally no that will no longer be needed once I am formally retired from the police force"

Allison then leaves the office and gets groceries and laundry done and the next day Allison's Captain learns what the cryptic message Kerenai had given him the day before meant. For the longest time both Allison and her Captain had been working on getting a specific tragedy formally recognized and the officers that had been killed/wounded the proper honor and medals they had deserved and finally they had succeeded, and those involved in instigating the tragedy were formally charged with the crimes

"You're right, I have been wanting this for a long time now"

"Exactly sir, it's finally time that this be acknowledged for the sakes of everyone"

"Now what?"

"Now we simply continue our lives and duty"

Two weeks later and on a day where both Allison and John were off duty the two decided to meet for lunch at her apartment due to needing to talk about some private things about his past and current dilemma regarding a special identity

"John how are you going to handle the Lone Ranger identity?"

"Simple, I've written a note saying that my new identity has inherited my Lone Ranger identity by me"

"That should work"

"Indeed it should"

"Oh and by the way I think my Captain wants to speak with you about being temporarily transferred here for some reason"

"I'll talk to him then and see what's going on"

"Good, let's hope it's nothing serious"

"Agreed"

Two weeks later and Allison and John were the first two people of the small group to have their deaths faked and given new identities by the EDC

"Now all that's left is Dan and Tonto"

"And who knows how long that will take, good thing Tonto is retiring from both jobs soon though"

"True enough, you were about to yourself weren't you?"

"The day we 'died' was supposed to be my last day at the police station, Tonto and I decided to retire from the military at the same time on the same day so the day he leaves the service I too was going to leave"

"Why police before military?"

"We had our reasons"

"Fine I won't ask again"

A month later and both Dan and Tonto were both "dead" as well, Tonto had "died" during a training exercise in the military two months before he retired from the Reserves while Dan "died" during a drill at his job

"So time to train to get established in our new identities before joining the EDC and getting that training"

"Yes, it's going to be especially difficult for me this time around unless we can figure out the power situation like John has figured out the Lone Ranger issue"

"How critical is that?"

"Way critical, if I use my abilities we're busted"

Suddenly Galvatron entered

"Fortunately that's not a worry"

"Oh?"

"Yep, the people with your abilities has been working on this for a very long time now since they found out you don't age, the plan is to say that while you were unique Ally they thought about the possibility of you wanting to pass on your abilities and designed a necklace that would allow you to do just that and then talked to you about it and you agreed to that plan, your new identity trained in the powers long enough to not need the actual necklace except for certain long range attacks, that the abilities started coming naturally to you"

"And thus I will always have to wear the necklace from now on"

"For now yes, but maybe we can figure something else out in the future, we'll just have to wait and see on that one"

"Very well looks like we have a plan then"

And so for the next year and a half they started working on establishing their new identities in regards to how they act, speak and also their personal habits but finally John who was now called Andrew, Tonto who was now called Ken, (his middle name was still Tonto through faked backstory of wanting to honor himself via his last name, because he chose the name of the one who rode with the Lone Ranger, not just because of his Native American heritage) Dan who was now called Peter and Allison who was now called Sara were formally EDC officers

"Time to be visible?"

"Yep time to be visible"

"One thing though and this applies to everyone, you're going to have to do a month of training in the academy due to that mandatory change that was required in the language issue"

"Right, and it will also help reinforce the fact that I can't slip into Cybertronian any time I want since I'm not related to you in this identity"

"Actually about that we too have thought of a solution, your successor would be working really close to us due to us being used to those abilities and what they could do, and then there's the fact that as our daughter you would have made sure your successor, had this been real gotten use to us, as such we can pass around a story that we wanted your successor to be fluent in our language and you agreed thus teaching your successor Cybertronian and since no one else knows that language you're safe to still call us family in Cybertronian, we ourselves will just have to make sure to always call you Sara since they've heard your real name in Cybertronian plenty of times to make them suspicious if we used your Cybertronian name in public"

"Right" (deliberately switches to second native language) *if that's the case then we're also going to have to figure out reasons behind me sounding like you're family to me whenever I speak in English because let's face it even if they don't know Cybertronian all EDC officers speak English if I sound too familiar with you guys, to the point where I act like you're family the excuse you've thought of isn't going to cut it and you know that full well *

*That we haven't thought of yet but we're getting there, for now just focus on the language training, maybe think about learning a new language, at least enough to understand some basic phrases and be able to ask for a translator*

*Maybe Japanese then because in all honesty the fact that I have yet to be in Japan for any real period of time is sheer dumb luck but I think that might either have to change through my request or because it's needed*

*How are you going to cover the other languages that you know?*

*Russian is my true identity, Spanish and Canadian French are friends once again*

*You're not making much sense*

*The back story is that my successor learned Russian because I occasionally slipped into said language and thus decided to learn for their own sanity*

*Okay, let's just hope that works for everyone, all in all things will go much easier after this rotation for you guys because in all honesty everyone but us will be dead and while we'll never reveal the full truth as long as you're alive the restrictions will be lightened*

*Exactly, the full story can never be told until we're deceased for real but depending on security clearances we can use the story that you guys gave permission for us to use our actual names via descendants or something similar along those lines which will make things a little easier in backstory*

*Well for now you guys start the language training tomorrow*

The next day the changes in language requirement forced the four to train and prove that they were fluent in specific languages that they claimed to be fluent in and made sure that they were proficient in new languages to a certain degree including the initial training in said new language

"Now then, this is a month long course initially, with training at your primary base to continue your progress, we're also going to make sure you're actually fluent in your declared language/languages"

A week later though and plans had been slightly altered for a few days because during the training an incident was used to show the cadets and new officers a very rare scenario that they still had to be aware of and know what to do because of how delicate that situation could be

"Okay everyone training in languages is suspended due to an ongoing situation"

"What's wrong instructor?"

"Captain Hanson, who has recently taken over for Captain Faireborn was just told that an allied planet is accusing a junior officer of breaking rules that are obscure at best and non-existent at worse, he's agreed to an exchange and will become something called a prisoner of good faith, that means that while Captain Hanson is prisoner his life is at risk unless we do specific things"

When the four heard the phrase 'prisoner of good faith' all of them flashed back to an incident back when Allison had been in John's, Dan's and Tonto's original timeline, a situation which had been really complicated and had made several people angry once the full implications had been found out

_Past_

The group was at a fort when they saw Tonto in the guard house and they asked to see him

"Tonto, where's your friend?"

"Him with soldiers to rescue commander of fort, Tonto here as something soldiers call prisoner of good faith until group comes back with commanding officer"

"Give me more details"

As quickly as possible Tonto gave the group all the information that he could including the group that had abducted the commanding officer in the first place

"Right, time to talk to whoever was left in charge of this fort while the commander is a prisoner"

Right then the person temporarily in charge of the fort came in

"Well Tonto, your friend isn't back yet, granted he did say give him three days and it's only been one, but there hasn't even been any information given that they're on the right trail, as such you'll go without dinner tonight because of tight rations"

"Wait!...let him go"

"What?..."

Due to the fact that it was not just the person in charge of the fort but also her group who asked she decided to continue

"Let Tonto go, my friends and his friend could use him not only to track the current group but also help in the fight to free your commanding officer, I'll stay as the prisoner of good faith in his stead"

"But Kerenai..."

"You guys know I'm right...that's an  _order_  everyone, a direct, no challenge available order, it's for the good of everyone that it be this ways, and Lt. your commanding officer has certain details that he may or may not inform you of once he's safely returned, in the meantime my group needs Tonto to track the rescue party because they can't track to save their lives at the moment"

"Can too"

"Oh really Carlos? I do believe what happened last week proves your current inability to track, you know as well as I do that everyone still needs to recover their vision better  _and_  shake off the last bit of mental confusion the poison left you guys, I just happened to be lucky enough not to ingest any or I would be in the same condition as you"

The look on everyone's faces let her know that she had won the argument amongst her group, but everything was still left to the Lt. in charge of the fort currently

"Do you even know what you're asking me to do?"

"Kill me if they don't return, I know, however Tonto needs to be with his friend because of the current situation and my friends also need Tonto to track your soldiers down in order to join the fight"

"And that vision problem you just mentioned"

"Oh, they've recovered enough to shoot even long range, but minuet details are still a bit problematic, the mental confusion also isn't a problem all things considered"

(Sighs) "very well, you win, because of this exchange I will add  _one_  extra day for the group to return with our commanding officer but  _only_  one extra day, if they don't return by sunset in three days instead of the original two, you die at dawn on the fourth day"

"I understand completely"

"Kerenai..."

"Go, fast, you don't have time to waste"

Ultimately that extra day was needed, and the entire group got back barely in time for the deadline, and that was only because of the fact that Silver wasn't a horse to be beaten and the nearby town had let them borrow the fastest horses available

_Minutes earlier_

"Looks like the group failed, which means you're to be executed at dawn tomorrow"

"Very well, I know that they tried their best though, however agreements are agreements"

"Yes, and rules are rules, if I could I would..."

"LT.!"

"Yes what is it?"

"Riders approaching sir, lots of them from the looks of it"

"Give me the binoculars"

With the binoculars the Lt. was able to see his commanding officer riding in front of the Lone Ranger on Silver, with that confirmation he goes towards the stake that Allison was tied to (a stable fire had destroyed her original cell since the stable and the guard house were right next to each other for some strange reason in Allison's mind) and cuts the ropes that bound her to it

"It looks like you live to see another day kid, our commanding officer is coming back, alive, as is the rest of the group"

Carlos and the others would wind up being the last in and Carlos took the lead on the talk that was needed

"You are  _never_  acting as a prisoner of good faith again in this time period or until you're actually old enough to serve your country if we ever get home before you turn eighteen am I clear?"

"Who's in charge Carlos?"

"Technically, that would be you, however don't forget that little clause in the EDC handbook regarding your safety"

"You did  _not_  just pull that card Lt."

"Oh, I did, I just totally pulled that card, for the good of the group it had to be done"

"Fine, you win this round, but don't think this conversation is over with, we are going to be having a  _very_  serious talk about what you just did so that you understand the  _full_  implications of that clause you just used on me as soon as we're able to"

"Um...sorry to interrupt but are you two okay?"

"Captain...we're fine, just a little...disagreement that can be settled in a little bit, or well, not so much a disagreement as something that only involves my friends and I"

Later that night in a hidden camp Carlos learned exactly what it meant to officially invoke the special EDC handbook clause regarding her safety in the exact situation they had been in and a few others, it meant that he was officially to take Allison's place as a prisoner of good faith from now on, either that or serve it beside her and he was also the person officially in command of their small group in similar situations like they had been in basically he had usurped Allison's authority by pulling that special clause hampering her ability to protect them in all situations

"Is there anything that we can do to mitigate the damage I've done?"

(Sighs) "I'm afraid that I don't know of anything, as such we're officially in the situation where we make things up as we go or come across them in this time period"

"Right, I guess I should have thought things through a little more huh?"

"Yes, but I understand where you were coming from so I'm not completely angry with you, just...I just wish you had thought things through before pulling that card or at least tried to see things from my viewpoint before speaking up once you got back instead of panicking"

"Wait...I think I might have an idea"

"Go for it, I'm all for ideas to help with what you've done to yourself"

"I can't completely undo what I've done, the clause is still active as of when I used it, but there's a second clause, one you were never informed of because it was always thought that the clause would be used in  _our_  time and your family would have been around which helps lessen the burden on the officer who activates the clause since they're your legal guardians anyways, the second clause allows the officer who activates the first clause to choose someone else who shares the responsibility of said clause, it also gives us authority to decide if a co-leader is needed depending on the situation we're in with you as our leader, and I think at least for now that co-leader is needed, think about it Kerenai, you've been making all the decisions since we got here even if it's not very noticeable since you've tried to keep it so that the person with the highest rank makes the most decisions, but we  _are_  influenced by you being right there with us, with a co-leader if we ever get into the same situation as three days ago, or even a similar situation the two of you could rotate responsibility of being the prisoner of good faith or any such similar thing that is needed, and if it risks death you don't put yourself in that situation, let's face it Kerenai you're too exhausted to keep this solo leader thing going any longer"

"You're right, I have been thinking that exact same thing, I just...I just don't wish to have you guys also burden the responsibility that I have on my shoulders of trying to get everyone home safe"

"But because of that it's tearing you apart"

"Very well, I will think about who should co-lead and let you know in three days from now at the latest"

"Thanks you for understanding my point of view"

Three days later and it turned out that the person who activated the clause was the co-leader, but for a very, very good reason that he couldn't refute

"You can't be serious, why put me as co-leader?"

"Besides the fact that you're the primary arguer whenever I need someone to argue with regarding my decisions? I do believe rank hath it's privileges is a very good phrase in this situation"

"But what about..."

(Sighs) "I know, but he was going to retire before this incident anyways, he may have seniority over you but...he's sick, and I do mean  _sick_ , how he's lasted this far is beyond me in all honesty, as such you're the next highest person in command and leadership skills besides me"

"Very well, let's just hope we don't run into that situation too often"

"No kidding that wouldn't be very good trust me"

Ultimately the protection clause wasn't used very often, only twice was it fully enforced due to the fact that one time, it wasn't even her fault that she was a prisoner of good faith and the other time, it wasn't exactly Carlos enforcing the rules it was a Sheriff who was trying to stop the spread of disease, Carlos simply stepped in to remind Allison that using modern medicine wasn't the best idea and neither was exposing herself to said disease the greatest idea even if she could help

_Present_

Allison could practically  _feel_  the glares in her direction from her three friends but she blatantly ignored them knowing that they would be having a reminder talk once the classes of the day were over with


	54. Chapter 54

"Due to this situation we find one of our own in we will be halting the language lessons until things are resolved and discuss what exactly a prisoner of good faith really is, what happens when that is used and the ramifications after they're returned home, either in good health or ill"

The next three days were spent dealing with the issue of one of their own being a prisoner of good faith, what happens when someone takes on that role, the physical and psychological issues that could happen once the person returns home, and why that is very rarely used except in either extreme circumstances or because there's no other choice

"Being a prisoner of good faith isn't easy is it?"

"No it's not, especially because the prisoner of good faith is treated either well or poorly depending on our own actions or inactions, at least for the most part, some people abuse prisoners of good faith for the fun of it, but if that happens then there's retaliation on our part with vengeance"

"No kidding the last time a prisoner of good faith was deliberately abused we attacked that group and gave them no quarter, they're still paying restitution in other ways and have no means of attacking anyone for at least another five years, but in either case it's not pretty when you harm a prisoner of good faith for no other reason than because you enjoy it"

"Have proof of that?"

"Oh yeah we have video of our actions, we have to video any actions we take for legal reasons"

"Fair warning though, it gets ugly and as such you may not be able to or even want to watch the whole thing at the moment"

"Just how ugly are you talking about?"

"You...don't want to know until you see the video"

"Then maybe we shouldn't see the video at all"

"No, you need to see the video to understand how we deal with deliberate torture of prisoners of good faith"

"But you just said..."

"I know, and it does get ugly and you don't want to know how ugly until it gets to the video, however we broke no international or intergalactic laws during our vengeance against a deliberately tortured prisoner of good faith"

"Then how is it ugly?"

"It's...not easy to explain in words but once you see the video you'll understand just what we mean when we say things got ugly by a point that you don't want to know until you see the video"

The recruits soon learned what the EDC officers had meant by ugly, they had only killed at need but the ugly part was the property damage and sanctions which meant that rebuilding was nearly impossible, the injuries incurred during the fighting also wasn't pretty

"No wonder you guys declared things as ugly"

"Yeah, like I said no international or intergalactic laws were broken but things certainly got...messy to say the least"

"In either case we now know that we could be part of this should this issue ever come up again"

"Yes, and you also now understand what happens during a situation which involves a prisoner of good faith, where they're generally safe unless someone decides not to follow the rules regarding those people. Oh one more thing you should know is that generally it's senior officers who are prisoners of good faith and not junior officers, however that's not always the case depending on several factors that come into play at any given time"

"So...training for languages continues tomorrow?"

"Yes it does"

That night the four friends had a dinner at a Japanese restaurant simply relaxing for once in a very long time, they had already had a  _very_  private confrontation and shouting match regarding her own time as a prisoner of good faith in Tonto's stead, and what was expected now that they were all EDC officers, she also finally revealed what had happened after that incident between her and her group which explained the changed dynamics they had noticed the next time they had gotten together

"So, how are you with your lessons Sara?"

"Good Ken, you?"

"Okay"

A few weeks later the month long session was over with and the group was back to full duty, during the time they were adapting they were technically officially EDC officers but until they had completely adapted their schedules had been different from most EDC officers, but for the language requirement part of the training they had been put on reserve along with the other EDC officers doing the training

"So...it's been decided to split you guys up temporarily in order to make sure that your languages are ingrained in your minds, Sara might be gone the longest so that she truly gets the nuances of the Japanese language and possibly their culture too"

"Where is everyone else headed?"

"Andrew is headed to Canada for his Canadian French, Ken is headed to Italy for his Italian while Peter is headed to Portugal for his Portuguese"

"Though I do wonder when you guys learned those languages in your actual identities?"

"Ken learned in the military due to that sudden requirement to be fluent in at least one other language besides your native language, in all honesty I'm surprised he didn't learn Greek with our one fellow Reserve officer, Andrew had to go to Canada once for a conference of some sort regarding police while I was actually on active duty and Peter learned because of his co-worker"

"They can't acknowledge the Russian can they?"

"Nope, not for a long, long time"

"Well the split will be for about a year, no longer than a year and a half, and we'll make sure you guys can occasionally get together for holidays"

"Fine, in the time that we're separated hopefully other arrangements regarding our situation can be made for our return"

"Situation?"

"We're homeless unless we live on base, my apartment went up in smoke, Andrew lost his place in the same way, Ken and Peter lost their home through being 'dead' and has yet to really get a chance to get a new place because of that issue during the training as an EDC officer once we got used to our current identities"

"We'll work on that then, and Sara you might want to think about learning more languages besides Japanese"

"Let's work on making sure I'm completely fluent in Japanese first before thinking about other languages that I don't know"

"As you wish Sara"

"And guys regular phone calls for all four of us, Tonto and I worked together for  _way_  too long to deny that need and the other two...well you know full well what's actually going on"

"Right"

"Oh, are you guys taking the physical journals or the digital journals?"

"Physical, the digital journals are good, but I still like the feel of actual paper"

"What about the rest of you?"

It turned out that all four wanted to have the physical copy of the journals, however they had debated on the digital copies because it made sense but they had also learned the hard way that physical copies of the journals were the only fix for whenever they longed to hear Arizona's voice again to the point where they were having constant flashbacks to their original time period, the only time they didn't take physical copies was if it was deemed too dangerous to have them on their person

"Fine physical copies it is, just remember the rules about those"

"We will"

"In the meantime we'll get things set up for your transfers and you should be getting your orders soon so start packing"

"Will do"

The next few days were spent waiting for orders and also doing some journal reading because not only was it close to the time of Arizona's birthday but the whole language training and being split up was triggering them in other ways as well

_Day 80_

It's been eighty days since that day and I just received a summons to the White House, though for what reason I have no idea, but it's an order from our President so I have to go, it might be related to what happened eighty days ago or it could be for another reason I just don't know yet and am not willing to speculate any further so as to keep myself calm, the one thing I am worried about is my dog but maybe I can leave him with Mustang Mag or another of the friends of the Lone Ranger once they know I was also their friend, last resort is leaving him with the padre that introduced the two of us to one another which I don't mind but don't want to do to the padre unless it's absolutely needed, at least the Sheriff doesn't need me anymore so that's one worry off my mind. In other news around the country...

_Day 85_

Well I found out why the President wanted to see me, he wanted an accounting of my actions as a bounty hunter and someone who occasionally helped the Lone Ranger, there's also the fact that I think he's trying to persuade me into becoming a government agent, however that won't work for the good of the country which the Lone Ranger and Tonto have taught me is just as important as fighting for the cause of justice, it's better for the country that I am a freelancer who is primarily a bounty hunter taking on wolves, literally in my case

They didn't read the journals every day and they also sometimes skipped around since they were so familiar with the journals but finally the day came for them to be split up, truly split up for the first time since the three from the past had first been put to sleep for a very, very long time

"Well, talk to you guys soon"

"Right, hopefully we won't be separated too long before we have our first vacations together"

"We'll see"

"Right you guys take care"

"Same to you"

And with that Allison boards her plane, she was the first to leave only because of how the flight schedules had decided to work this time around. Many hours later and Allison landed in Japan, extremely jet lagged and also in the middle of the night, fortunately there were people waiting for her and immediately took her to the base where she was going to sleep during her stay in country

"See you in the morning Sara"

"Night"

Allison took a brief shower and changed into night clothes, and then also made sure that the special sedatives were by her bedside just in case it was one of those nights where she was so tired that her memories came to the front, because while that wasn't an often occurrence it  _did_  happen occasionally where she was so tired her brain let down it's invisible compartments and let memories slip through during the night, PTSD episodes were completely different and were randomly triggered, but sleep generally was different for her where once she had the PTSD under control she didn't have nightmares about her past too often unless something happens to bring down the mind's barriers. That night fortunately her brain was too tired to be too tired and let memories slip by, at least bad memories because she did have one dream that was a memory but that memory was a good memory, her dream was about when she was just starting out as a Texas Ranger/Army Reserve and they were celebrating the anniversary of the founding of the Texas Rangers with a picnic. When she woke up she reported to the base commander and received her duties officially including how she was going to be one of the liaisons between the EDC and the Japanese police so as to work on her fluency in said language

"I understand sir, hopefully they will forgive me for any slip ups I make initially"

"They will, they've worked with rookie EDC officers enough times to understand that it takes time to completely get the nuances of their language"

"Okay just making sure I don't mess up our relationship with them within my first month of working alongside during incidents that force us to work together"

"That's something that makes you a very good officer Sara"

"Well let's just hope that things go smoothly even during the troubling times during my training"

Ultimately the group would be separated for two years instead of just under a year and a half, but part of that was due to the fact that Allison was forced to remain an extra seven months handling weather emergencies that just kept coming combined with a few EDC only issues that the police were involved in only in that they were dealing with the aftermath of battle damage. During the extra time the other three were constantly assigned together because they worked best together for reasons that only those high up in the EDC command that weren't Cybertronians were aware of

" _You_  have been gone for  _way_  longer than was expected"

"Can I help it if two Typhoons back-to-back, two random Tsunami's, and EDC only issues kept me in Japan longer than was originally planned? I know that you know that in those situations it's all hands on deck"

"Guess not, but still it took a ridiculously long time for you to come home"

"I know at least we won't be separated for a while so as to help with our emotions that we're dealing with"

(Sighs) "I think we've been through too much lately"

"No kidding, new identities, new jobs, and then just as we were getting settled we're separated"

"We've been through a lot in almost four years, but hopefully things should settle down for a little bit now that we're all together again, if a little closer than last time due to all having the same jobs even if it's not in the same departments"

"My family should keep us together as much as possible until we go back to civilian life, seeing as how they know our full story, but don't expect us never to be separated because due to our different jobs within the EDC we  _will_  have to do separate duties on occasion, but hopefully they won't last more than a few days to no more than a couple of months"

"So, how long are we going to be with the EDC?"


	55. Chapter 55

"Hopefully only the original fifteen to twenty years that was planned when we discovered what had happened to us,  _maybe_  we might extend it to thirty years depending on what happens at the fifteen year mark, but hopefully it won't be extended as far as it was in our original identities"

"That was a unique situation of chance circumstances which forced us to stay longer than planned"

"I know, but still we stayed for  _way_  too long last time, I honestly thought we would be busted because I wasn't quite sure how much longer we could fake aging without suspicion"

"Well that won't be a worry any longer, at least once we finish this rotation of being EDC officers"

"True, by that point either everyone or nearly everyone who knew us in our true identities will be dead"

"Well for now all we can do is wait and see what happens during our service to the EDC but rotating is still a smart idea, was back then and is now since we can get...tired doing the same thing for many years at a time"

"Exactly, I was quite ready to retire from the police and military, seeing the same thing in two different jobs is hard physically and mentally in all honesty"

"The strange thing is you're doing very similar things in the EDC as you did in the police and military"

"But this time I have my family at my back and that makes all the difference, I'm too ingrained to work alongside my family and be completely comfortable, this is because due to how often I had to deal with command changes with both the police and the military, though it wasn't as frequent as one would fear, however with my family there hasn't been command change in a really long time, there are procedures long since in place, and they can tell when I'm getting overwhelmed easier than my fellow officers ever did"

"The Cybertronians cheat though with their sensors"

"Not entirely, they've raised me since I was two years old so they know me with or without their sensors, they just use those sensors to confirm readings at times depending on several factors"

"Well they'll have to use their sensors for the three of us since we haven't been around them long enough over the years for them to truly get to know us"

"True, which is in a way a bit odd, but in another way completely understandable"

"Well, they'll have ample opportunity to get to know you guys now that you're in the EDC"

"True enough, but still it will take time and we may not be around them frequently enough even now for them to be able to do that"

"Guess this is simply a wait and see situation"

"Yes, it's a wait and see situation indeed"

Five years later and the group had completely settled into their roles as EDC officers, Allison was missing the closeness of her family and the regular training they had done which was when they told her stories about her real family, but she also knew that it was safest to put a hold on those sessions until further notice so that suspicions weren't brought up about her real identity

"So, five years huh?"

"Yep, five years, it's certainly been an interesting five years, for us and for my family, because I can tell that they miss the closeness as much as I do, but for security reasons until this rotation is done with we can't ever be as close as we were when my real self was alive, it would bring trouble if we did"

"What was that we heard about in regards to that situation in Washington recently anyways?"

"That was a minor problem ultimately that the locals were able to handle themselves for the most part"

"For the most part?"

"Yes, I was there for consultation due to the fact that the officers there had yet to deal with two aliens going after each other when one was there for a peaceful meeting with POTUS after having already met the Cybertronians and the other wasn't happy that their life long enemies were changing into peaceful ways when they still wanted war. The Secret Service was the ones primarily in charge in regards to making sure that POTUS and the alien dignitary was protected but the rest of the police officers had to handle the rest of the city and it  _wasn't_  easily dealt with, fortunately they managed to resolve everything relatively peacefully without any advice from me and minimal help from the local EDC base"

"Well for now let's just focus on relaxing since this is our vacation time"

Suddenly though there was breaking news and when they looked at the screen everyone was shocked at what was happening, a  _massive_  forest fire out in California which actually threatened to expand to Oregon due to where the fire was located

"That looks bad"

"If things get any worse they're going to have to call out the National Guard, maybe even the Reserves depending on several factors"

"What makes you say that?"

"I've dealt with this exact scenario, before you guys woke up in my time and even before I was actually at Texas Ranger, though not by much, I actually think my actions at the fire affected when I became a Texas Ranger since I had always known that was what I wanted to be I applied to be a Texas Ranger from the start but they wanted me to have at least seven months experience as a police officer, I only had six months ultimately"

_Six months into being a police officer/Army Reserve_

"Kerenai, phone call for you!"

"On it Captain" (picks up the phone) "Kerenai speaking go ahead...yes sir...no sir I was not...yes sir...I understand sir...yes sir...yes sir...two hours understood sir...bye sir"

Her Captain was waiting for her to get off the phone and then simply stood by her side

"Report"

"Sorry sir no can do, at least not entirely, just know that I have been called up for active duty, the rest is currently classified per my orders, but shouldn't be for too long, however until certain situations are under control..."

"Got it, you need a ride to the airport?"

"Military base Captain, I'm taking military transport and it leaves in two hours"

"You have a go bag?"

"Yes and no, I have a basic go bag here at the station, but I was ordered to get another bag per my orders, as such I need a ride to my apartment real quick"

"Right, I'll get an officer ready to take you to the apartment and then the base while you get changed into your uniform since I know that's part of what you always have in that go bag that you keep here"

Two and a half hours later and the unit was up in the air and they were getting a full debrief via their headsets

"Okay guys, now then you know that normally it would be the National Guard that would respond to a natural disaster like forest fires, and normally the California National Guard would be able to handle it without the President having to activate the Army Reserves, however between the fact that part of the California National Guard is doing specialized Tsunami training in Japan alongside part of the Hawaiian National Guard and the fact that the Guard is spread thin due to that attack on the main base it was decided that the Army Reserve would help fight the forest fires. Now then Kerenai you're going to be the busiest of the group between the fact that you're going to be our primary liaison between us and the rest of the responders and the fact that I'm having you act as a field medic you're going to be getting the least amount of sleep and you're also going to have to juggle between duties"

"What about actually fighting the fire?, due to classified things that you're cleared for I know more about forest fires and fighting them than almost anyone but the actual firefighters in this unit"

"Hey, I might be a firefighter but smoke jumpers are a whole different skill set that I  _don't_ have, though I will admit already having firefighting skills will help, and it will also help that we all speak the same language so I can help facilitate communication in that regards as well"

"Sorry Kerenai, normally I would allow you to fight fires as well, but that isn't the case this time, if the National Guard was better manned they could coordinate things while you fought the fire, but you're the only one that I know of that's skilled enough to take the place of the ones in the National Guard that would be doing what I'm going to have to have you do"

"Understood sir, orders are orders"

A couple hours later and they landed in California and ultimately stayed there to help with the forest fires for about a week before California National Guard was able to get a handle on things

"We got this under control now, as such you guys can go back to your regular jobs, I'm sure that they're anxious to get you back"

"Yeah, I've been getting routine calls and texts from my Captain saying that a drug bust went bad"

"I have a lot of cars to deal with when I get home"

"I missed some in service training that I need to do when I get back, especially because of the fact that the in service training is critical due to new equipment that's slowly being phased into firefighting, as such it won't be nation wide for a while yet and as far as I know hasn't reached this part of California which is why I haven't even seen any of the new equipment despite being a firefighter myself"

"Well, your flight leaves in about an hour so you better get going"

"Right"

The flight back was primarily them being asleep because firefighting and handling injuries wasn't the easiest of jobs, especially when it's not something you do on a normal basis. As soon as they got back they each reported to their jobs and Allison was told that she was a candidate to become a Texas Ranger should she pass the evaluations, which she ultimately did and so two weeks after she got home she was given the badge of a Texas Ranger and she did her duty for a very long time, surprising a lot of people actually in how long she'd lasted as a Texas Ranger

_Present_

"Okay, you've been through a lot both before and after we met haven't you?"

"Oh yeah, you guys don't know the half of it really, those five years I was with you guys was ultimately a good thing, because even though I was in charge of a bunch of guys despite being a kid, there were times when I  _could_  actually be a kid, a pretty mature kid but still a kid, and it taught me a little bit more about the actual life you guys lived in that time period, it also reinforced my hatred of post civil war conditions in how the country was united but still divided for a long while afterwords"

"I remember that incident quite clearly, by the way do you guys remember the time Arizona and Sara's group had to work in two different towns on the same problem and then bring us in when we were going into the town Arizona was in for supplies?"


	56. Chapter 56

"I remember that, I also remember Tonto not being too happy about being split up, but it saved my groups life when I was down and out with that stupid fever"

"It also saved your life because your fever was  _bad_ "

"Don't know about that, but either way your medicines were what got me well faster than expected"

"By the way, how have your units taken to your bow and arrow skills even after these past five years?"

"I'm just glad we got that started in our real identities so that we're not the odd ones out which could get us busted, however with both of units being newer to the EDC they haven't completely warmed up to the bow and arrow idea, but they respect our use of them so that's not a big issue at least"

"I think it might partially be the fact that they don't train very long with them in the academy, some people like them and others don't it all depends on the person"

"And that's simply the way things are, I respect that my family decided to do basic training for a couple of weeks in the academy and then let them decide if they wanted to use the bow and arrow on a regular basis, it's a choice that they get unlike the guns, and honestly that's the way it should be in my mind"

"I completely agree, initially things were being forced on both the EDC and SWAT, but that was because basically that was what was needed at the time because of not just us using the bow and arrows but because a new method needed to be used for multiple situations, but after a couple of years there were people that were already competent and so switching things to initial training at the academy so that they're safe around the bow and arrows and can use them in an emergency but decide after the initial training if it's for them or not was the right path to go"

"And let's be honest here, between the four of us that  _your_  weapon Tonto and Sara, Tonto because of who he is and Sara because that's what was needed in all honesty at the time, and you simply took to it like a natural"

"I know, though I was a bit annoyed I had to wait until I went to the police academy and basic training before I could have it on me again on a regular basis once I got back from your original timeline"

"Well, considering the situation you were in makes sense"

"Yeah, and at least in private my family let me keep my skills up so that helped a bit, though at the same time part of the problem..."

"What was it?"

(Sighs) "I missed you guys okay?, by the time you woke up it had been twelve years since we'd met, the bow and arrow to me then was like the Lawson journals are to us now, I had to keep up my skills but I took breaks occasionally because the longing just got too bad, fortunately when I was properly allowed them again as part of the Army Reserves the longing wasn't quite so bad and it also helped that I was using them primarily in combat so I didn't have time to think about you guys, especially Tonto"

"Five years is a long time to be in one area I guess in regards to what you went through"

"Add in the fact that we met on a regular basis and it wasn't the easiest on me for the longest time"

"I didn't think it was as frequent as you thought it was"

"I kept track, it was frequent enough that I think you guys didn't notice it because you were dealing with other problems and we were simply people you were familiar with and trusted with your lives and also trusted to do what you wanted, or simply make up a plan on the spot at need"

"You're probably right now that I think about it"

"Then there's the fact that quite frankly there were times when communication between us was through primarily your friends, and occasionally Arizona"

"True enough, though you also used the local Sheriff's and the telegraph system semi regularly as well"

"Military forts were the most interesting in my mind"

"Hey guys, remember the time we used Chief Thundercloud, a local Sheriff, two military forts, which are now defunct unfortunately, and five friendly farms just to stay in contact during a Comanche uprising that took two months to handle?"

"Oh yeah I remember, I distinctly also recall being very glad Peter was in school at the time"

"Though Arizona did slightly annoy me that time"

"What for Sara?"

"The idiot nearly got himself killed three different times in our presence and hid moderate injuries another five times"

"Oh, that would do it alright"

"By the way how was it that Arizona didn't meet Chief Thundercloud until after we were asleep?"

"He came into the picture after we had left Thundercloud's camp"

"You know now that I think about it neither side ever got the full story did we?"

"True enough, so you tell your part and I tell mine?"

"Works for us"

"Well you already know my part in all of this, I was at school the entire time"

"Right, I think I'd best start since I think my group had the more interesting journey being who we were"

_Past (Sara)_

"Hey guys, is it just me or do you also see smoke signals in the north?"

Everyone looks and it's soon confirmed that it was smoke signals of some kind, unfortunately they couldn't actually read said smoke signals

"Okay now what?"

"Maybe the nearby town will have answers"

"Let's do it then"

They ask around town and find out that the local Sheriff was the best at recognizing smoke signals, this was because he spent six months with a friendly group of Indians (not Tonto or Chief Thundercloud due to either distance or no ability to actually get in regular contact with) who had saved his life and in return for learning some of what they knew he taught them some of what he knew both for the skills lessons and in thanks for saving his life. The problem was that the Sheriff was currently out of town

"Do you know when he'll be back?"

"Tonight hopefully, he was simply going over to the next town to pick up a couple of suspects that were wanted here that are being detained in that town"

"We'll wait in his office then"

"If you want, by the way, he might be in a foul mood so..."

"Stay out of the way until he processes the prisoners, got it"

"So...standard modern day precautions?"

"Yep, treat the Sheriff as if he was human sized family member on a bad day, seeing as how Captain Faireborn might occasionally get in a bad mood, but my

family..."

"Right"

The group waited at the office until late at night and let the Sheriff put away his prisoners, fortunately since they were  _very_  good at reading body language (Though only human body language for all but Allison who had been raised by the Cybertronians and thus naturally knew their body language) they could tell that while the Sheriff was tired from a long ride it wasn't very stressful so they revealed themselves

"Hello Sheriff"

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"We're travelers, and we're here because of Indian smoke signals, unfortunately it's too dark to see them now but we're hoping that they continue tomorrow so that you're able to read them for us"

"Why do you want to know about what Indian smoke signals say?"

"That's...a bit complicated"

"Try me"

"Let's just say that we like helping people and Indian smoke signals could mean trouble"

"Fine, tomorrow I'll keep a lookout and let you know what they mean then"

"Good"

The next day at dawn the smoke signals started up again and the Sheriff noticed Allison and her group and called them over

"I don't have the complete message, but it's not good, it's basically the start of a Comanche uprising, other rogue Indians might also be involved but I can't tell that yet"

"Don't need to, just the knowledge of an uprising is good enough, let's see from the distance of that smoke it looks to be a good 160 clicks I'd say"

"Nope make that about 136 clicks, you're forgetting that smoke travels a good distance, but not that good a distance"

"And  _you're_  forgetting that there's mountains in that area, and also a few valley's"

"Huh...guess I misread the map, if that's the case than you'd be right and that is actually about 160 clicks away, two day ride?"

"Two and a half to three because of terrain"

"Right, we good for that distance?"

"Supply wise?, not quite we need more rations because we used the last of our bacon, coffee and starch"

"Oh, forgot about that, and who took the last of the coffee?"

"Think"

"Right, coffee fiend"

"Yep, coffee fiend"

"Correction, all of us are coffee addicts, minus Allison here due to those restrictions"

"Either way we can't go on a 100 mile trip until late afternoon"

While most of the group was getting supplies Allison wrote down a note and put it into a unique cartridge just outside of town where there camp was, once she got back she gave the bullet to the Sheriff

"Sheriff, if an Indian, or someone who is either masked or in disguise shows up, ask either for the Indian's name and make sure that they say Tonto, or that person to show you a silver bullet just like this one, once that's done give them this silver bullet letting them know that K left it behind, they'll automatically know that there's a message inside it, you could also use my first name of Allison, once that bullet is given and the message read don't expect them to wait around or leave a reply, however if they do leave you specific instructions follow them to the letter, those instructions will be  _very_  important even if you don't understand why you're doing them"

"I understand, I don't see why I should trust a masked man and an Indian but I'll do it for your sake"

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough why you should trust him, though I'm surprised that the bullet doesn't already give you a clue as to that person's identity, but to each their own I guess"

Finally mid-afternoon everything was ready for their journey and the Sheriff was at their camp to see them off

"Remember, give the bullet only to the two I specified"

"An Indian named Tonto and a person with a silver bullet who may or may not be masked"

"Exactly, also tell them who left the bullet"

"Should I also tell them the direction you headed?"

"No, they'll know what they need to do when they get the message"

"Very well then, wait, what should I do if your horses come back empty saddles?"

"Stable them until our return, because that's the  _only_  way they're coming back in that condition, by us releasing them ourselves because of it being too dangerous to them"

"But..."

"No Sheriff, it's safer this ways, I know that empty saddles generally mean trouble, and normally you're right, but this time it simply means that we felt it was too dangerous for the horses, if we need further transportation after that we'll take care of it ourselves"

"Very well, I won't argue any further"

"Sheriff, one more thing, there might be more smoke signals later that you may or may not understand, if that's the case...just do what's best for your town depending on your understanding of the smoke signals, I can't tell you anymore than that"

They quickly left town and once on the road cobbled together a partial plan that was highly likely to come apart very quickly, except for one thing and one thing only that would save them possibly. They were trained in the EDC that no plan ever survived first contact with the enemy, as such their plans were never hard fast plans except in the fact that they would get in, take down the enemy, and then get out as safely and with as few casualties as possible, as such they could always change their tactics in regards to how they accomplished their goals with very minimal problems within the entire group. There was the occasional hiccups of either two people having the same plan or two people having opposite plans that canceled each other out, but those were always easily and amicably dealt with whenever that happened. When the group had realized that they could potentially be stuck in the past for much longer than originally anticipated they quickly adapted and made their plans even looser than before to handle their current situation

"Hey guys, don't forget to remind me of my place if it starts to look like I'll go beyond my normal limits and into  _that_  territory, which I know has happened in the past"

"Will do, you've done good so far in this time, don't want to break that streak now do we?"

"Nope, not considering our situation"

They soon get to the camp and see a  _lot_  of Comanche's

"Right, get help from the Army?"

"Works for me"

Unfortunately they were discovered and beaten very badly, however they had a very sudden ally in Chief Thundercloud who had somehow managed to be nearby and rescued the group, only Allison was conscious though she was fading fast

"Chief...Thundercloud...thanks...for..."

She passes out before she could finish her sentence and the Chief quickly has his men do basic treatment before taking them to a temporary camp which would allow them to heal up faster. It would take Allison alone three days to properly wake up

"Chief Thundercloud, thank you for not only the rescue from the Comanche's but also the shelter you have provided us during our healing"

"It fine, you good friend of Tonto and Lone Ranger"

"They've told you about us have they?"

"Not much, just that you good friends of theirs, that you can fight well if needed"

"It's good to hear that they think well of us, but we didn't do so well this time"

"Not your fault, you not used to Comanche's from what little we saw of battle"

"Yes but..."

"You not argue! You good warrior, you and your friends last long enough for help to arrive"

"I know but..."

She breaks off her words and all that the Chief could see was clenched fists, he could tell that Allison was in emotional turmoil at the moment regarding the situation, and he could also tell that there were things about the group that Tonto and the Lone Ranger hadn't mentioned to him, but he also felt that was because the two respected the group's privacy and had promised to keep anything about this particular group a secret whether or not they had been asked to do so

"You good person, act like leader with these people, they'll be fine soon"

"I know, by the way, how long has it been since the fight anyways?"

"Three day you've been unconscious"

(Groans) "I was hoping it hadn't been that long, if only because we're the only ones who even know a fraction of what's truly going on right now with the uprising, we don't have as much time to make plans as I'd hoped for" (thinks) " _I also wish it hadn't been that long because even if we needed the sleep, the longer we're unconscious the longer it actually takes for us to fully heal due to the medicines that we're used to, I don't think the Chief knows that our being unconscious for so long might be a side effect of whatever medicines they're using on us_ "

It would take the rest of the group another twelve hours to regain consciousness and as soon as they were able to actually move they left the camp, only hours before the Lone Ranger and Tonto showed up, having been in the town two days before and being handed the silver bullet per Allison's instructions (but those details she wouldn't know until way in the future when they were telling their respective sides of the story)

"There another plan in place since the first one failed?"

"Well, we need horses so we'll go to that farm that the Lone Ranger is known at, once that happens we'll go to the nearest fort and tell them everything that we know so far"

"Right, think leaving messages for the two will work?"

"For the moment yes, but things might change as we get further along in the current situation"

"Guys, hold up a moment there's something else we need to talk about"

"What is it Kerenai?"

"Me, I know we agreed that I shouldn't use my powers, but considering what we're now up against..."

"No, we shouldn't break the status quo, not only could you accidentally change time by using your abilities but who knows what personally could happen to you if you decided to use them, think about it, during this time..."

"Right that would be a problem wouldn't it?"

"Yes it would, use what skills you already have okay?"

"Fine, but if it looks like I'm getting close to my limits remember the rules"

"Will do, evacuate you so that you don't go into  _that_  territory"

"And if it looks like I am do whatever it takes to prevent me from going there, including knocking me unconscious"

"Understood, so the farm first for horses or another place first?"

"Farm, we  _need_  transportation in order to deal with the current problem, our old tactic of borrowing a horse temporarily and then walking for the most part when we know towns are close enough isn't going to cut it this time"

"Speed, you're worried about our speed"

"Exactly, smoke signals can only do so much due to the fact that not everyone understands the signals, in all honesty the army is lucky they have people who can read smoke signals even halfway decently, I think if not for mitigating factors we would only be as good as some of the soldiers as well"

They keep walking another six hours and decide to start making camp for the night when all of a sudden they hear a familiar sound of barking and looked up. Within moments of seeing someone come towards them they quickly recognized Arizona and his dog

"It's Arizona"

"What's he doing in these parts?"

"Who knows, but maybe he'll help us with our current situation"

Once Arizona stopped he asked them what they were doing and they told him what little they understood of the current situation, once he was updated he was completely on board with helping them deal with the Comanche uprising

"What's the plan?"

"Well, right now we have to get to a farm where the owners know the Lone Ranger and Tonto and ask to borrow horses, after that...well we'll figure out our next step after we get transportation"

"Though in all honesty the next part of the plan might be to inform another fort about what we've since learned regarding the Comanche uprising since the Sheriff wouldn't have that information"

"True enough, we'll just see what happens once we get the horses and know where the nearest town or fort is"

"Hey Allison, think he should know about your rule you've set up since he already knows everything else about us?"

"True, okay, as you know I have special powers, now then I can fight without them up to a certain point but I do tend to use them unconsciously if I know that they're going to be useful  _or_  if I start reaching my limits. If you notice the others in the group stopping me from fighting and forcing a retreat you get in on the act in whatever way you feel is best, including knocking me unconscious, we do  _not_  want me to use my abilities in this time period for obvious and not so obvious reasons"

"I can do that no problem, I just have one question to ask about your limits, is it very obvious that you're reaching your limits or not?"

"It's hit and miss with her in all honesty if you haven't been around and seen her training frequently, all new officers tend to miss the signs for a few months"

"Right, follow the rest of the group it is"

"And Arizona, I know that you'll never seem my powers, but I am still dangerous when I'm simply fighting, as such try and keep a safe distance from me if at all possible, otherwise you may get hurt"

"How exactly do you mean that?"

"I can fight dirty, and I can use weapons, not many but I  _can_  use them, including the bow and arrow more recently thanks to Tonto"

"And with or without her abilities, depending on the weapon used, she can be  _dangerous_  to be close to"

"Right, keep back it is unless the situation forces us to be close together"

"Exactly, and unfortunately I can't fully explain just why I am so dangerous with our without my powers because in all honesty, not even my family has figured that one out in it's entirety, though we have a sneaking suspicion it's due to their training, it just hasn't been confirmed yet"

"Well in any case you guys need horses and we need to stop the problems that are currently happening in regards to the Comanche's"

"Right, let's get to it then"

They reached the farm within two hours and once they had horses they discovered that the fort was closer so that's where they headed first, and that's also the first time Arizona nearly died on her because during the journey they were attacked by a different band of renegades and Arizona was hit five different times, two of the bullets hitting in vital areas. Once at the fort he collapsed and Allison and her group were forced to wait while the army surgeon did emergency surgery, and it was a close call, not only did Arizona almost die from blood loss, but he was feverish for two days as well. Once that was over and they continued they thought that they were through the worst of it but no, instead, they had an interesting month and a half before things came to a close. Arizona almost died a second time due to fire and a third time they almost lost him was through drowning, he was also seriously injured in five different skirmishes, two of them in towns, once at a fort and two other times at farms that were friendly. Each time they were at a friendly farm or a different fort they checked to see if the Lone Ranger and Tonto had left a message or left messages for them, that was their  _only_  form of contact due to the way the Comanche trouble played out. But finally the Comanche's were put back in their place and peace returned to the area

_Present_


	57. Chapter 57

"Well, that's basically the end of my half of the story"

"I'm surprised that after you got together with Arizona you basically glossed over the last part of the journey"

"That's primarily because it was the same thing over and over again almost every day for the last half of the efforts on our part to deal with the Comanche uprising, we met a band of renegades almost every day and had at the very least a minor skirmish with them, in all honesty we were surprised whenever you beat us to a location and left a message for  _us_  instead of the other way around"

"Well I'm going to be even shorter in explaining than you are since I am mainly going to discuss the town where you left the message with the Sheriff and then what we did when we realized your plans to stop an uprising and how we did our part to help in very brief detail"

"How can you also be brief?"

"Because we basically dealt with the same thing as you except in different locations, and alongside Thundercloud for the most part"

"Why did you stay with Thundercloud mainly?"

"That's...complicated, but it has to do with Tonto's friendship with the Chief and the fact that the army also decided to ask for the Chief's help and since we were with the Chief when the army asked..."

"I think I get it, partially anyways"

"Well, now for our turn"

_Past (Tonto and the Lone Ranger)_

"Tonto, are you sure that this is the direction the smoke signals were from?"

"Ah, me sure"

"Just checking considering just how far away we were"

"Friend told me about it"

"Oh okay"

Tonto and the Lone Ranger were two days behind Allison and her group due to distance and had only just heard about the smoke signals. Once they were near town the Lone Ranger decided to disguise himself so that he could make inquiries about the situation in broad daylight without having to deal with questions about his mask

"Let's meet up just outside of town in a few hours once we get general information, if you get something important sooner use our signal and I'll come and the same goes for me naturally"

"Right"

Three hours later both met outside of town with nothing to really report, than again part of the problem was that once again the Sheriff was out of town, but this time his trip was going to be brief seeing as how he was just checking up on an older couple on the further outreaches of the town, only a couple of hours ride to and from the place. As it got closer to the evening they saw the Sheriff and decided to enter in the front door seeing as how the Lone Ranger was still disguised

"Hello how may I help you two?"

"We heard rumors that there were smoke signals recently seen from this town and as such we came to check it out and see if anything was done about it"

"I might have more information for you two if you give me two specific things"

"What are they?"

"You mister need to hand me a special bullet while the Indian needs to give me his name"

"Me Tonto"

"Tonto huh?, what about you mister do you have a bullet for me?"

"You mean one like this?"

The Lone Ranger hands the Sheriff a silver bullet and the Sheriff pulls out the one given to him by Allison out of a drawer and does a quick comparison

"This the the bullet alright, I was told to give this bullet to you by someone named K, and that you would understand what it means"

"I do indeed know what that means"

The Lone Ranger takes the bullet and then to the Sheriff's shock takes the bullet apart and pulls out a message. Once he reads the message he goes over to the lamp and burns it

"Tonto, the group was heading towards the smoke signals to try and get a better idea of the actual plans of the Comanche's, as such we should head in the same direction, as for you Sheriff, this is going to sound odd, but I need you to either go in person or send someone to the nearest fort and tell them, if they haven't already been informed about the Comanche uprising and the fact that a small group of people are going to do their best to stop those plans on their own, also insure that if you have any bridges or dams that provide water that they're protected as best as possible by the people. As for whoever goes to the fort, just make sure that they have this bullet with them and they'll be allowed inside and heard from since I actually know who should be in charge of the nearest fort, unfortunately I can't go to them myself for obvious reasons"

"Will do, the kid said that the directions may not make sense to me but that I was to follow them anyways"

"Anything else that might help us?"

"Actually yeah, she and another person said two different things that struck me as odd, they used miles, but they also used something else as a means of measuring distance"

"Can you tell us what the two said and then forget what you heard since it doesn't necessarily concern you?"

"Sure, the kid said 'Don't need to, just the knowledge of an uprising is good enough, let's see from the distance of that smoke it looks to be a good 160 clicks I'd say', then the other person said 'Nope make that about 136 clicks, you're forgetting that smoke travels a good distance, but not that good a distance' she replied with 'And  _you're_  forgetting that there's mountains in that area, and also a few valley's' they replied 'Huh...guess I misread the map, if that's the case than you'd be right and that is actually about 160 clicks away, two day ride?' then they talked a bit about supplies and then the kid I believe said 'Either way we can't go on a 100 mile trip until late afternoon', that's everything as far as I recall"

"Okay, ignore the measuring systems that they used, at least we now know how far we have to go and about where they should be located"

They eventually reach where the Comanche's and other renegades had been camped and saw what was still left of the remains of battle. A few days later they discovered that they had missed Allison and her group by only a couple of hours to a day or two at most when they came across Chief Thundercloud. They then decided to primarily stick with the Chief except at need for the next month and a half thereabouts using farms and forts as a primary means of communicating with Allison and her group

_Present_

"And that's basically our end of the story"

"We both basically went through a lot during the two months it took to handle the situation"

"Yes we did"

(Sighs) "I miss him, I wish he hadn't made that decision by himself to stay behind, but in a way I get why he did so"

"True enough, and at least we  _do_  have his journals as a memory of him"

"Exactly"

"So back to what you were saying before, we can basically stay out of the situation and simply watch what California does with the fire?"

"Yep, like I said they should be able to handle it on their own, but if need be the President can activate the Reserves to back up the forces of the National Guard if the Guard is spread too thin at the moment, the government has things under control"

"Good to know"

"Still, I wish we could help them"

"We might be able to still, there might be a call for volunteers for a little bit once the crises is over, depending on the EDC we can help via the Red Cross"

A week later after their vacation ended they were called in front of the three Cybertronian leaders and Captain Franks who had taken over the job from Captain Faireborn several years ago

"I'm sure you're wondering what we've called you here for today"

"Yes, we are"

"There's a diplomatic mission that requires your unique understanding of Earth technology mixed with Cybertronian technology, now technically several mechanics could have been chosen, but you four were chosen specifically because you're also combat trained more than normal people in your positions would be by your own choice. Things aren't quite stable yet in the area and as such..."

"As such you three might need your fighting skills that you have, especially you Sara with your abilities that you inherited from Allison Kerenai, the fact that two of your number have no problems using bows and arrows is also a huge bonus on this mission"

"Why is my ability that's inherited so important?"

"Because of the fact that you may deal with very dangerous EDC enemies, or even enemies of the people we are in diplomatic talks with, you know from history that Kerenai's powers were the only thing that kept people alive at times because the enemy was somehow immune to other attacks"

"I also recall that there were enemies that are immune to  _her_  powers and abilities, if not completely than partially"

"Even then they never broke the personal shields,  _that_  little fact was hidden from everyone but the three of us, she made it seem like she was affected but she never was, and those she sought to protect were also never hurt even if it seemed like it at the time, plus the fact that some of the physical powers can be used by EDC personnel or anyone else she deems as an ally is also a good thing"

"Fine, since I already know that these are orders I won't fight them anymore, just understand that I hope I live up to your expectations because even after five years I don't feel like people see me like they did with Kerenai in regards to her abilities"

"You leave tomorrow"

"Understood"

Ultimately what was supposed to take three months at most (the plan was to rotate a diplomatic team every three months until things were completely resolved per a special agreement between the EDC and the planet) would ultimately take three years. This was because while the actual journey only took a week the group was attacked one month into their diplomatic mission

_One month into diplomatic mission_

"So, how are things going anyways?"

"Slowly, it's not the Earth technology that's giving them issues, it's when the Cybertronian technology is added to the mix that there's a problem, then there's the fact that the wildlife on this planet is...brutal to say the least"

"At least we have yet to deal with EDC enemies or enemies of this planet"

"True enough"

Suddenly they hear explosions and quickly see battleships

"I think I spoke too soon"

"No kidding"

Sara decides to go all out immediately, starting with her necklace, she takes it off and throws it calling out one of the abilities she had strictly through said necklace

"Multiple explosions!"

When she saw that it was effective she knew that her abilities would work on the enemy, she also through observation quickly discovered that any soldiers that actually managed to land were easily taken care of by the bow and arrows of Tonto, but that the guns were useless against armor that they were wearing, as such she created a set of bow and arrows for Andrew and Peter, with the arrows being an endless supply while she herself simply used her powers on the ships and at need the enemy on the ground, including the occasional use of physical attacks by her allies, unfortunately her powers did still slightly drain her depending on the situation, and it didn't help that halfway through the battle the enemy introduced knock out gas that was undetectable this time, though normally Sara would have been able to detect it in time due to training. Once they were completely knocked out the group was abducted and the abduction wasn't detected for seven hours, however this was due to the fact that everyone remained unconscious for three hours and it took another four to physically confirm casualties and those missing both from the planet and from any groups that had sent delegates

"So what now?"

"We contact Earth and let them know what's happened to their delegates, they'll probably send a replacement team while also searching for their missing people"

"Can't we help them in any way?"

"No, not until we're officially allies, it's just too dangerous both politically and in a more physical sense at the moment"

"How is it more dangerous physically?"

"If we're attacked..."

"Oh, that issue"

"Yes, that issue"

"Very well, than since all we can do is wait until we're official allies I will focus my resources on building repairs, but as soon as we're allies I demand to be part of the search party, primarily because that's my specialty in any case"

"Granted"

"I just hope that they're still alive when we find them"

"Same here, same here"

_Present_

A group of people were chained behind a cell, their feet chained to the walls but their hands were simply chained in front of them, and one suddenly brought their heads up from a head down position when they heard footsteps


	58. Chapter 58

"So, thinking of making another attempt?"

"Yep"

"You know that they'll punish you again, especially after your five attempts in one day that you did recently"

"I almost made it last time too"

"Do you even know how long it's been or where we are?"

"No to both of those questions because it doesn't matter, once I got free I was planning on using the shuttle's computer to take me to the nearest EDC base once I got a location out of that thing, either that or simply enter the coordinates of the planet we disappeared from whichever was the best option of the time"

"But who knows what they'll think of this next time"

"I know Peter, I know the risks all too well, but I  _have_  to do this, they...they've done something to you three and the others that makes it impossible for you to act against them, while for me that...whatever it was failed on me, thus why I can make the escape attempts"

"Maybe...maybe it's because of who you are that their methods of control aren't effective on you"

"Possibly, but for now, it's time to make another escape attempt"

"When?"

"When they take me out of the torture chamber, that's when I'll make my move seeing as how they'll think I've been weakened, I've been faking that by the way, learning everything I can about this place so that if possible I can target any weak points that will slow operations down even briefly"

"If they even take you this time"

"There is that"

Suddenly the footsteps stop and then they hear two distinct voices

"Have you been discovered yet?"

"No, and I'm surprised you haven't been discovered considering the security we saw at the last place"

"I'll admit I'm also a little surprised at that, but also grateful"

"Anyways have you found them yet?"

"No, and this is the last place on the map that has any prison cells in it, if they aren't here we go to the next location while blowing this one up"

"But last time..."

"Orders mister"

"Who's?"

"Someone named Red Alert, who got those orders from Ultra Magnus who got  _his_  orders directly from Rodimus Prime two days ago"

In the cell hearing her family's names in such a long time woke something else in not just Sara's heart and mind but the rest of the people too, hope, but this was no ordinary hope, this was hope that was long since buried about being remembered and going home for real, because the escape attempts made by Sara were by now her full strength but they never had much hope of her actually succeeding, but now they knew that a rescue party was nearby and decided to alert the two unknown people to that fact

"Hey EDC, were over here!"

They hear running and soon enough two EDC officers are in front of their cells

"You're alive, after three long years you've been found alive"

"Three...years?"

"Yes, but that can be explained later, right now we have to escape with you guys with as minimal noise as possible"

"Not likely, there's an alarm any time a jail break is attempted, and there are alarms on these chains as well that can detect them being broken, managed that in the early days of captivity and discovered the alarm the hard way"

"Don't care, you're all going  _home_  at last"

"But if it's activated..."

"We can fight, you guys might be able to slightly but I can tell that you've been weakened"

Two hours later and the group was free and relatively quickly regaining their strength because it was discovered that part of their problems were that they were being drugged via their food on a regular basis

"Well, you're still recovering but you're recovering at a good rate all things considered"

"Meanwhile you can explain your three year comment seeing as how we legitimately had no means of telling how much time has passed, as such it's still such a big shock to learn just how long it's been since we've been around any EDC officers, or any friendly faces in all honesty"

"Okay, what exactly is the last thing you remember before waking up in a cell?"

"Fighting enemies during our diplomatic mission that was delicate"

"Good, they used knock out gas and abducted you guys, we've been looking for you ever since, it's been three years since you were abducted, now to get you at least partially caught up on all the events over these past three years so that you have an idea of what's going on now"

"Please do"

Three hours later and the group was partially caught up, but complete catch up was still a long conversation away due to just how much information the group needed to know about in regards to the passed time. However the group needed the break from the info dump and it was understood by those giving them that information

"Let's take a break, you guys need good, non-drugged food and proper sleep because I  _highly_  doubt you've been getting good sleep in the positions you were found in, unless they actually let you lie down occasionally"

"Well it wasn't like we weren't allowed to lie down, but it wasn't the most comfortable position, at least they never chained our hands to the walls"

"Though that didn't mean eating wasn't a problem and you know it"

"Actually they left the chains just long enough that if we brought the plates or bowls close enough eating was pretty normal"

"At least if we didn't need to cut anything, when cutting was necessary it got a little interesting to say the least, but we managed it"

"Well in any case, we'll give you some food and then bed time for everyone you need it after what you've all been through"

"Not going to argue, much anyways"

"Okay what are you arguing about?"

"Two things, the order that the food and bed come in and the brightness of the ship"

"Right, you were basically in dungeons for three years, even during torture I bet, we'll turn down the lights, and I guess sleep can come before food if you're all that exhausted"

The exhaustion was proven quite correct because Sara simply passed out right after making the two requests and the rest of the group barely made it to their beds before  _they_  passed out from exhaustion. They ultimately slept for thirteen hours and after a quick shower had their first clean (as in non-drugged) meal in three years, that's when it's learned that they weren't just physically tortured, the group hadn't necessarily been half starved to death however there were times when they were given only one meal a day for long periods of time and there was a brief period where they'd gone two whole weeks without food, however that was because the entire location was on rations because supplies were late and as prisoners they had the lowest priority food wise, however since they wanted to keep the group alive they made sure that the group had their daily water rations, even if slightly restricted and no torture was done either. Add in that the drugs were primarily poisons and the group had a slightly hard time eating normally

"Okay, eating will have to be done carefully and slowly so that you don't get sick"

"Looks like it"

"By the way, a message came through, I  _can_  read it due to the Morse code requirement but I saw the messenger and am respecting your privacy"

"Thank you"

_Message_

-. .-.. .- -.. / - - / ... . .- .-. / - ..-. / ... ..- .-. ...- .. ...- .- .-.. / . ...- . .-. -.- - -. . .-.-.- / -. . .- / - .. ... ... .. - -. / - -. -.-. . / -... .- -.-. -.- / - -. / . .- .-. - ... -..- / ..-. ..- .-.. .-.. / -.. . -... .-. .. . ..-. / - ... . -. / .- ... / .- . .-.. .-.. .-.-.- / .-. - - ..- ... / - . . - .. -. -. / .- ... / .- . .-.. .-.. / -.. ..- . / - - / -. . .- / .-. - - ..- ... / ..-. - .-. / -.- - ..- / .- -. -.. / - ... . - / -. . . -.. .. -. -. / -.- - ..- .-. / -.. . -... .-. .. . ..-. / .- ... / .- . .-.. .-.. .-.-.- / ...- .- -.-. .- - .. - -. / - -. -.-. . / - - ... . .-. / - .. ... ... .. - -. / -.. - -. . / .- .. - ... .-.-.- / ... .. -. -. . -.. / - .-. - .. - ..- ... / .-. .-. .. - . -..- / .-. - -.. .. - ..- ... / .-. .-. .. - . / .- -. -.. / -. .- .-.. ...- .- - .-. - -.

*Glad to hear of survival everyone. new mission once back on Earth, full debrief then as well. POTUS meeting as well due to new POTUS for you and them needing your debrief as well. Vacation once other mission done with. signed Optimus Prime, Rodimus Prime and Galvatron*

_End message_

"Well, things are going to be both interesting and back to normal once we're home"

They get home a week later and after two days rest spend another three days doing a full debrief with the leaders of the EDC and POTUS, who was female this time and had just been elected two years ago and had thus just finished one year of leadership

"Thank you for that report, as such we'll start focusing in those areas so as to make sure we get the main bases of operations, we've been taking them down one by one looking for you guys but I guess we still have a long ways to go, by the way three months after your abduction the group became official allies of the EDC and thus have participated in searching for you, they simply were in another sector thus why the EDC group discovered you instead of them"

"That's...that's good to hear"

"Now then we do have a mission for you guys, one that should ease you back into society at least partially, the British military has been asking the EDC based there for some training tips on how to deal with delicate situations between them and any aliens they may encounter that are not an immediate threat, the British Border Agency has also requested our help in dealing with illegal Aliens coming into the country and how to handle  _those_  situations delicately long enough for EDC intervention to arrive, as such we've decided to send a team and split them into two groups, your group will be dealing with the civilian side of things while the other group will deal with the military side of things"

"Okay, that should work, but once that's done with we get serious training and get back to our real duties"

"Works for us"

The next three months were a period of adjustment into EDC life, training EDC Border Patrol and doing EDC training when they weren't with the Border Patrol, but finally they got their brief vacation before going back to full duty

"Well you're cleared for full duty"

"So, we going back to our original posts?"

"Yes, however Sara is needed on Cybertron very briefly due to a problem that while others could handle technically speaking the group wants to see you for their own eyes"

"Right, best go then"

Ultimately she stayed a week, partially because she needed new parts and partially because those on Cybertron were very hesitant on letting her go after not having seen her for so long

"Hope to see you again soon"

"We'll see"

"How are you getting home anyways?"

"Space bridge is out, thus I am hoping there's a shuttle heading to Earth"

"There is"

"I'll take that one then"

She takes the shuttle and is met by her closest friends who were waiting for her

"The leaders want to meet up with us four for some reason"

"Right, immediately or after I get settled again?"

"Immediately as far as I understand it"

"Got it, straight to the base and no stops to drop off my bags"

"You packed light for this job anyways"

They soon reach the office and knock on the door

"You wished to see us?"

"Yes, close the door"

They do so and Rodimus activates a special code where the room was now soundproof

"There's something very important you need to know, however first we have to ask something"

"What is it?"

"How would you like your names back?"

"What...did you say?"

"How would you like your names back?"

"We'd love it but..."

"We've finally figured out the solution to your problem in regards to your names and the closeness that Sara especially needs with us again. We've decided that we want you to have your names only you're going to have to also go by the second, third and so on, as for Allison she's also going to have to do that however unlike you guys where it's because we wanted that to happen due to missing your names, for her it's because of the power passing, and every person who gets her powers passed on, at least every female will have Allison Kerenai as their name, with the proper designates added in regards to how many times the name has been passed on"

"That should work, and honestly I was wondering if we would truly have to wait until the next rotation or if you would figure out that solution I know you've been working on for forever"

"Well we've finally done it, the President is also behind us in that regards and is once again working on paperwork that will make it completely legal, just like when we gave you your name back Tonto"

"So, once the paperwork is through, we have our original names again"

"Yes, and only how many generations you've been that name will change"

"Wait...does this mean we get access to the journals again?"

"Open access yes, I already knew you secretly downloaded digital copies to read in secret"

"Well in any case it'll be good to have our real names again"

"And Tonto, the same excuse as always can be used, you prefer to go by your middle name"

"Good to know"

"So when does this officially go into effect?"

"Next week"

"Got it"

"It'll be good to have our names again"

"Yes it will be, it's been too long since we've heard them"

"And I  _have_  missed the closeness of family, I think it's why I'm not actually recovering from our three year ordeal as quickly as I should be"

"I thought you were doing okay"


	59. Chapter 59

"I wasn't, PTSD isn't the easiest thing to deal with, and unfortunately I'm dealing with it,  _bad_  as such I need something to help and I think being able to talk to my family as family again, and a few other things you guys never noticed will help"

They spent the next week getting ready for the reactions that would happen once they regained their true names and when that day came (with the proper announcements that would allow them to openly carry their journals again) there were definitely reactions, the rest of the EDC were in an uproar about their names thinking initially that the Cybertronians were being selfish and dishonoring their daughter and her friends, but over time they saw where the Cybertronians were going and calmed down about everything

"Dan, you packed?"

"Yes Allison, what for?"

"Russia, there's trouble at the base and since I speak fluent Russian and you're an expert in the problem we were selected to go"

"Why can't those at the base resolve the problem?"

"No idea"

"Got it"

It turned out that the reason the two were needed was because the EDC base in Russia was undermanned between illness and death. They would stay in Russia for two months while the EDC got the base back up and running properly. On the way home both decided to do some journal reading and while Tonto read the last journal, Allison decided to read the first and also go back to the beginning because she was simply in that mood

_Day 2_

It's only been two days since...that incident and I personally am still in shock, I am also beginning to wonder when people will catch on to the fact that the Lone Ranger and Tonto are gone. I promise to keep up the work you guys started but right now I don't know what to do, I haven't even decided when or even if to inform the government before they start hearing the rumors. I also need to decide if I am going to do both bounty hunting and helping the government, who again don't know except for the President, but I don't know if he should tell anyone else, maybe he'll leave a message for me so that we can get together and talk things through, but who knows

The two kept reading for a few hours before going to sleep for the rest of the journey. Once home the four friends continued to simply do their jobs for several more years but soon enough it came on their twenty year anniversary of being in the EDC and they decided to celebrate it in private until called for by her family

"Twenty years huh?"

"Yes, and it's been a long twenty years at that in some ways, but not so long in others"

"Think we'll meet your family soon in regards to how long we're going to remain in the EDC?"

"Yes, we need to discuss whether we'll stay another ten years or another twenty years before retiring"

"Though we'll be considered a bit young to die if we're 'killed' ten years from now"

"Well that's something I wanted to discuss before talking with the family, maybe instead of dying and then immediately transitioning back to our other jobs we could retire for a few years and  _then_  'die' and start our journey back to our old lives"

"That's a thought, and it would help not establish a pattern too now that I think about it"

"Wait, what about events that would kill a normal person?"

"That person 'dies' and then simply goes into hiding and waits until it's time to transition back to our old lives"

"That could work, bit dangerous and boring but it could work"

"Gotta do what we gotta do John"

"True enough, true enough"

Later that day they met with the three leaders of Cybertron and it was indeed about their situation

"So, we're thinking fifteen years from now you'll retire and then we'll fake your deaths so that you can go back to your other jobs"

"Actually we need to talk about that, I think we shouldn't establish such a pattern, as such while we can retire in fifteen years I think we should stay alive for at least a couple of years before 'dying' for whatever reason, we can decide on how long we should live later but not establishing a particular pattern is for the best for everyone"

"You may be right"

"So, fifteen years from now you announce your retirement?"

"Yes, and once retirement is announced we'll figure out when to 'kill' ourselves and leave the EDC for a time"

"You going back to your original jobs or will you wait until after the next time you join the EDC?"

"Original jobs, we might decide to switch things up occasionally eventually but for now let's not get too crazy with what to do about the situation we've been forced into"

"Your choice guys, just know that if needed..."

"We know, and we've decided to use safe houses or something of the like if it's before the actual time so as to keep things safe"

"That should work, you'll likely be bored but..."

"Better bored than busted"

"Well, for now back to your duties"

Fifteen years later and the group retired in a staggered mode, every three months one of the group retired so as to make sure those taking over for them were properly able to handle the job, and seventeen years after their retirement Allison was the first person to "die" in an accident, Tonto and Dan "died" just a year later in a plane crash (Tonto had gotten a pilot's license early in his career in the EDC and had kept his license up since), as for John he lasted the longest "dying" ten years after the loss of his friend and nephew (though no one knew Dan was his nephew) due to a faked illness, during his "final hours" his mind flashed back to an incident in his original time

_Past_

The Lone Ranger and Tonto were worried, Allison and her group had come into the same town they were helping with news of an outlaw group that had managed to take down a fort, and were possibly riling up renegade Indians. When that had been received the town started preparing for trouble

"Are you sure about how many outlaws are in the group?"

"Not entirely, they were moving in a pack making it hard to count them, and if they do indeed rile up a band of renegade Indians..."

"You have a point, and the nearest fort is at least three days ride from here"

"If they're even properly manned"

"Didn't think of that"

"Come on Tonto, we'll see what we can do to slow the group down"

"We'll join you two"

"No, you're needed in town"

"But..."

"If the fort is abandoned they'll need all the fighters they can get"

(Sighs) "I understand, be careful"

"We will be"

Later that week things weren't looking the greatest for the town

"Now what?"

"Now...now I do this"

Allison suddenly dips the tip of an arrow in oil and then lights the arrow with a torch and shoots it, starting a fire, five arrows had the entire front of the town covered with the fire heading in the direction of the outlaws and renegade Indians

"That should slow them down at least"

"Yes but if the wind shifts..."

"That's why I had the idea of asking the Sheriff to evacuate the town beforehand, now all we can do is wait and hope the military can get here"

"Right"

Fortunately the Lone Ranger and Tonto on one end and the Army on the other managed to take care of the outlaws and renegade Indians and then also managed to quickly put out the fire

_Present_

John suddenly goes into a severe coughing fit that was only stopped because of Ratchet

"It's almost time isn't it?"

"Yes, I've done what I could, but you're dying, I'll...I'll make it as painless as I can"

"Thanks for everything, I'm tired now so I'll sleep, hope to join my friends soon"

John goes to sleep and is helped in remaining asleep via a drug given to him by Ratchet. Five hours later and John "died" in his sleep

"It's over"

"Yes, at least he wasn't in pain when the end came"

When John awoke seventeen hours later he was quickly reunited with the rest of the group and they all continued to remain hidden for two years while they let the EDC mourn his loss but finally they knew it was time to go back to their original jobs

"Well time to start the rotation all over again"

"Indeed it is Dan, indeed it is"

And so over the many centuries that the four rotated between the EDC and the civilian world they kept things pretty normal so as to keep everything with the government straight, though they also occasionally mixed things up a bit as a precaution in between EDC periods. One time all four of them joined a civilian government job with John joining NASA, Tonto joining the NTSB, while Allison went with the Chemical Safety Board and Dan joined the CDC as an epidemiologist after going back to college to earn his degree, another time all four of them were active duty Coast Guard for almost the entire rotation while another saw all of them going back to school to become teachers, and yet a different rotation saw all of them as astronauts exploring different planets, and then the final rotation, the one where all of them died one by one saw each of them in dangerous jobs, Dan would die first as a firefighter, and five years later John and Tonto would die six months apart from each other in a gunfight and building collapse respectively, John in the gunfight as an FBI agent and Tonto in the building collapse with the Red Cross after an earthquake, his other job was equally dangerous anyways and he very well could have died in an explosion as an explosives expert with SWAT and Allison would die by drowning during a rescue herself as part of the Coast Guard, all of them would be buried on Cybertron per their wish and given a military funeral in secret per the President's wish, and their history would remain secret for another two centuries before their true stories would be told. As for Arizona Lawson's journals, each copy would be donated to a famous museum around the world and made public at the same time as their deaths, though the Cybertronians waited a few months before allowing that to happen even if it was in their wills to do so, but no one blamed the Cybertronians for waiting a bit while they simply enjoyed it for themselves in private mourning their loss in their own way


End file.
